Seeking to project a highly educated Dalit woman leader from western rural Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena Thursday nominated party spokesperson Dr Jyoti Waghmare as its candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha election from Maharashtra, taking the total number of candidates in the fray to seven for the seven seats to be filled.
Waghmare, an academic and Ambedkarite activist from Solapur, has emerged as a prominent spokesperson of the party since joining the Shinde camp in April 2023 following the split in the Shiv Sena. She currently serves as the party’s state spokesperson and district contact chief for Dharashiv.
As the party spokesperson, she has been regularly taking on the rival Sena UBT leaders on several issues, and if she wins, she will be sitting opposite the rival Sena’s Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Raut, in the upper house.
Dr Waghmare holds a PhD in English literature and has more than a decade of experience as a college professor. She was a faculty member at Walchand College in Solapur for a period. During her academic years, she secured 84 per cent marks in the SSC examination, stood first among backward class students in the Pune division in the HSC examination, and also topped the state in the subject of Ardhamagadhi. She has also received a state-level first prize for research on women’s issues. She is proficient in Marathi, Hindi, English, Telugu and Kannada.
Social and family background
Waghmare is known as an active face of the Ambedkarite movement in Solapur. Her father, Nagnath Waghmare, was associated with the Dalit Panther movement and later served as a corporator in the Solapur Municipal Corporation.
According to party leaders, she began her social activism through the human rights campaign, the Vidrohi cultural movement and Ambedkarite organisations. She has also briefly worked as a news presenter earlier in her career.
Over the years, Waghmare has delivered lectures across Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh on the ideas and legacy of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Mahatma Basaveshwar, focusing on social ref orm and constitutional values.
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Rise in Shinde-led Sena
After joining the Shinde-led Sena in April 2023, Waghmare quickly emerged as one of the party’s prominent spokespersons, frequently representing its position in television debates and public forums. She has also addressed the party’s Dussehra rallies and is known for her sharp attacks on leaders of the Uddhav-led Sena (UBT), including Aaditya Thackeray, Sanjay Raut and Sushma Andhare.
Party leaders said her candidature reflects the Sena’s attempt to project a highly educated woman leader from the Dalit community with a grassroots base in Solapur and western Maharashtra.
With Waghmare’s nomination, seven candidates are currently in the fray for the seven Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra, making the election likely to be uncontested if no additional nominations are filed.
Speaking to reporters after filing her nominations, Waghmare expressed her gratitude to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for nominating her and said that her candidature symbolised the aspirations of “ordinary workers and women from humble backgrounds”.
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“In politics, it is often said that one needs a powerful surname or political background. I do not come from such a family. But if a person works honestly for the party, leaders like Eknath Shinde notice that work and give justice,” Waghmare said.
Waghmare filed her nomination in the presence of MP Shrikant Shinde, ministers Dadaji Bhuse and Sanjay Shirsat, MLA Manisha Kayande, and senior leaders including Gajanan Kirtikar, Anandrao Adsul and Shaina NC.
Waghmare said the decision to field her for the Upper House reflected the party leadership’s willingness to give opportunities to grassroots workers irrespective of background.
Meanwhile, eyebrows were raised after former MP Rahul Shewale was not nominated for the post and many speculated that it may be due to the poor showing of the party in Mumbai during the civic body polls that were held in January this year.
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Adsul, who was also aspiring for the post, expressed his dissatisfaction.
“I was hoping to get nominated from the BJP’s quota. However, I have not received it. Last time I was promised Governor’s post by BJP for sacrificing my seat and backing out from the Lok Sabha polls. Now that promise has also not been fulfilled. I have also not got the RS seat,” he said while clarifying that he is not looking for quitting the party.
Meanwhile, Minister and Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat said the Sena is allowing the elections to be held unopposed by not fielding the second candidate.
