Maharashtra Legislative Council polls: 13 in fray for 10 seats as Sadabhau Khot enters poll ring as BJP-backed candidate

Mumbai: In all 13 nominees have filed nominations for the election for 10 seats of the Maharashtra Legislative Council slated for June 20.

The BJP’s move to support former minister Sadabhau Khot as an independent in addition to its five candidates and NCP’s decision to field third nominee Shivajirao Garje besides state council chairperson Ramraje Nimbalkar and former minister Eknath Khadse has made the contest fiercer. BJP’s five candidates included former minister Ram Shinde, Pravin Darekar, Shrikant Bharatiya, Uma Khapre and Prasad Lad.

Shiv Sena has fielded former minister Sachin Ahir and tribal leader Aamsha Padvi while Congress has nominated former mayor and minister Chandrakant Handore and Mumbai unit chief Bhai Jagtap.

The last date of withdrawal is June 13 while polling is slated for June 20. Ten legislators will be elected by 287 legislators from the state assembly.

NCP sources told the Free Press Journal, ‘’Garje will withdraw his nomination as Nimbalkar and Khadse will comfortably win with a quota of 26.10 votes.” On its part, BJP sources said that the party's five nominees will remain in the fray while Khot will withdraw. “BJP will win 4 seats comfortably but will have to mobilize votes for its fifth nominee Prasad Lad,’’ sources added.

Shiv Sena is confident to win two seats while Congress party’s Handore can win comfortably but Jagtap will have to struggle to get additional votes.

For both Maha Vikas Aghadi and BJP the ensuing state council election is crucial to increase its tally. For MVA in particular it is an opportunity to prove ‘’united we win, divided we lose". It is also an opportunity for MVA to foil BJP’s attempt to engineer division.

On the other hand, BJP is using all its resources to lure independents, smaller parties and disgruntled legislators from the MVA and gain political mileage. Even though BJP has for a while stopped giving new deadlines for collapse of the MVA government, it is geared up to exploit rifts among the three ruling partners.

In the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, the Maha Vikas Aghadi has support of 168 legislators comprising Shiv Sena (55), NCP (53), Congress (44), other parties (8) and independents (8). However, NCP leaders Nawab Malik and Anil Deshmukh, who are currently in jail, may not cast the votes.

In the case of the BJP, which has 106 legislators, it has the support of one legislator each of Jan Surajya and Rashtriya Samaj Paksha and five independents. Together, the BJP has a strength of 113 legislators.