diff --git a/python/pyspark/daemon.py b/python/pyspark/daemon.py
index 409c33d1727a..7495569ecfda 100644
--- a/python/pyspark/daemon.py
+++ b/python/pyspark/daemon.py
@@ -163,14 +163,26 @@ def handle_sigterm(*args):
 
     # Initialization complete
     try:
+        poller = None
+        if os.name == "posix":
+            # select.select has a known limit on the number of file descriptors
+            # it can handle. We use select.poll instead to avoid this limit.
+            poller = select.poll()
+            fd_reverse_map = {0: 0, listen_sock.fileno(): listen_sock}
+            poller.register(0, select.POLLIN)
+            poller.register(listen_sock, select.POLLIN)
+
         while True:
-            try:
-                ready_fds = select.select([0, listen_sock], [], [], 1)[0]
-            except select.error as ex:
-                if ex[0] == EINTR:
-                    continue
-                else:
-                    raise
+            if poller is not None:
+                ready_fds = [fd_reverse_map[fd] for fd, _ in poller.poll(1000)]
+            else:
+                try:
+                    ready_fds = select.select([0, listen_sock], [], [], 1)[0]
+                except select.error as ex:
+                    if ex[0] == EINTR:
+                        continue
+                    else:
+                        raise
 
             if 0 in ready_fds:
                 try:
@@ -208,6 +220,9 @@ def handle_sigterm(*args):
 
                 if pid == 0:
                     # in child process
+                    if poller is not None:
+                        poller.unregister(0)
+                        poller.unregister(listen_sock)
                     listen_sock.close()
 
                     # It should close the standard input in the child process so that
@@ -256,6 +271,9 @@ def handle_sigterm(*args):
                     sock.close()
 
     finally:
+        if poller is not None:
+            poller.unregister(0)
+            poller.unregister(listen_sock)
         shutdown(1)