Nagpur: In a significant political development for Nagpur, senior BJP leader and former Mayor Maya Chitaman Ivnate has been named as one of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidates from Maharashtra for the Rajya Sabha Elections 2026.
The BJP on Wednesday announced four candidates from Maharashtra for the upcoming biennial Rajya Sabha polls. The list includes Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, BJP General Secretary Vinod Tawde, Ramrao Wadkute, and Maya Chitaman Ivnate.
For Nagpur, the spotlight is firmly on Maya Ivnate, an Adivasi woman leader who has held several important public positions over the years. She previously served as the Mayor of Nagpur and is currently a corporator in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation after winning the recent civic elections.
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Ivnate has also served as a member of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST), where she held the status of Minister of State during her tenure in New Delhi. Her nomination is being viewed as a move to strengthen tribal representation and women’s participation in national politics.
Political observers in Vidarbha say her selection is significant as it brings Nagpur’s leadership directly into the national parliamentary arena through the Rajya Sabha.
Among the other nominees, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, chief of the Republican Party of India (A), is set to seek another term in the Upper House, while BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde is expected to enter the Rajya Sabha for the first time. Ramrao Wadkute has also been nominated as one of the party’s candidates from the state.
The announcement was made by the BJP’s Central Election Committee from its New Delhi headquarters.
The Election Commission of India has scheduled polling for March 16 to fill 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states in the biennial elections.
