Nashik MLC Seat Triggers Unease In Mahayuti As BJP, Shiv Sena And NCP Stake Claim

Nashik: With just three weeks left for the Legislative Council election from the Nashik Local Authorities Constituency, unrest has begun surfacing within the ruling Mahayuti alliance due to the delay in finalising a candidate. Uncertainty continues over whether the seat will be contested by the BJP or Shiv Sena, leaving aspirants anxiously awaiting the leadership’s decision. On the other hand, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) too appears inactive, as no prominent leader has yet openly sought candidature. Sources said seat-sharing within the Mahayuti is likely to be finalised within the next couple of days.

In the 2017 election, the United Shiv Sena candidate Narendra Darade had emerged victorious. Naturally, Shiv Sena is insisting that the Nashik seat should remain with the party this time as well. However, the BJP has asserted its claim based on numerical strength in the district. It is learnt that Nashik is among the constituencies where a deadlock has emerged at the state level over seat allocation.

From Shiv Sena, Narendra Darade, Anjum Kande and Bhausaheb Chaudhary are in the race for candidature, while BJP aspirants include Ganesh Gite, Nilesh Bora and Suresh Patil. All contenders have reportedly intensified lobbying efforts in Mumbai. Attention across the district is now focused on which party ultimately gets the seat in the alliance formula.

NCP Also Enters the Race
The Nationalist Congress Party, which has the highest number of seven MLAs in the district, has also laid claim to the Nashik seat. Party legislators recently met Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar in Mumbai and strongly pushed the demand. Shivaji Sahane, who lost to Narendra Darade in the previous election, along with former MP Devidas Pingle, has expressed readiness to contest. As a result, all three Mahayuti allies have now staked claim to the constituency.

MVA Yet to Show Seriousness
Considering the current strength of elected representatives, Mahayuti appears dominant in the Nashik constituency. The opposition MVA has more than 150 votes, but uncertainty over victory prospects has reportedly discouraged leaders from showing interest in contesting.

Notably, all major MVA leaders were present at the farmers’ agitation in Chandwad on Tuesday over the onion price issue, yet none discussed the Legislative Council election. Political observers believe this indicates that the opposition has not taken the Nashik contest seriously, at least for now.

No Nomination Filed Yet

Meanwhile, more than 20 nomination forms have been purchased so far for the Nashik constituency election. However, not a single nomination has been officially filed yet. Most of those purchasing forms are said to be independent. The last date for filing nominations is June 1.