Mumbai: The political battle for the Maharashtra Legislative Council has intensified with the opposition UBT announcing Ambadas Danve as its candidate, even as signs of discord surfaced within the MVA alliance.
Danve is former Leader of Opposition
The announcement was made by Aaditya Thackeray, effectively ending speculation around the possible candidature of party chief Uddhav Thackeray. Danve, a former Leader of Opposition in the Council (2022–2025), will now represent Shiv Sena (UBT) in the upcoming elections.
The decision, however, appears to have unsettled the Congress, which had earlier expressed willingness to support Uddhav Thackeray if he chose to contest. Shortly after the announcement, Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal said the party would field its own candidate for the lone seat the opposition is expected to win, though no name has been finalised yet.
Sapkal in Delhi consulting leadership
Sources indicated that Sapkal is currently in Delhi consulting the party leadership before announcing the candidate, reflecting internal deliberations triggered by the Sena (UBT)’s unilateral move.
Senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar expressed dissatisfaction, stating that the decision to nominate Danve was taken without adequate consultation with alliance partners. He said that Congress had backed only Uddhav Thackeray’s name and expected discussions before any alternative candidate was finalised.
MVA can secure only one seat
The development has exposed fault lines within the MVA, which comprises Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), Samajwadi Party and CPI(M). While Danve has claimed he is the “joint candidate” of the alliance, the Congress stance suggests otherwise, raising questions about opposition unity ahead of the polls.
Notably, nine members of the Legislative Council, including Uddhav Thackeray, are set to retire on May 13. However, given the current strength in the state assembly, the MVA is in a position to secure only one seat.
Meanwhile, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already announced five candidates—Pramod Jathar, Sunil Karjatkar, Madhavi Naik, Sanjay Bhende and Vivek Kolhe—for the elections, along with Pradnya Satav for a bypoll seat. Its allies, including the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) and NCP, are yet to declare their nominees.
Polling for the nine Council seats will be held on May 12, with counting scheduled the same day. The deadline for filing nominations is April 30.
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