Mumbai : Even after the seat sharing agreement was sealed by the leaders, the rebels who filed nominations on Wednesday, the last day of filing nominations, are likely to dampen the prospects of the Congress and the NCP in the legislative council elections to be held on December 27.
NCP leader Prasad Lad filed his nomination from Mumbai, where Congress candidate Ashok (Bhai) Jagtap is the official candidate of the combine.
On Tuesday, BJP’s Manoj Kotak had filed his nomination. Former Congress MLA Jayant Sasane filed his nomination as an independent against NCP’s Arun Jagtap in Ahmednagar. Former Congress MLA Dilip Mane filed his papers as an independent in Solapur against NCP’s Deepak Salunke.
Apart from fielding Salunke and Jagtap, both sitting MLCs in Solapur and Ahmednagar respectively, the NCP has given nomination to Ravi Sakpal in Akola-Washim-Buldhana local self-government body.
The Congress has fielded former minister Satej Patil in Kolhapur in place of its sitting MLC Mahadev Mahadik, who is contesting as an independent supported by BJP, while retaining Amrish Patel in Dhule-Nandurbar. The party has fielded Ashok Singh Chauhan in Nagpur.
In Solapur, the BJP is supporting NCP rebel Prashant Paricharak who is contesting as an independent candidate. The Shiv Sena is fielding Shashikant Gade in Ahmednagar, while the BJP fielded Girish Vyas, believed to be a close aide of Union minister Nitin Gadkari, in Nagpur. Gopal Kele is the party nominee in Dhule-Nandurbar.
The eight MLCs in the biennial elections are to be elected from local self-government bodies constituency. The seats are: Nagpur, Akola-Washim-Buldhana (both in Vidarbha), Solapur, Kolhapur (western Maharashtra), Ahmednagar, Dhule-Nandurbar in North Maharashtra and two seats in Mumbai.
The outgoing members are Rajendra Mulak, Gopikisan Bajoriya, Deepak Salunke, Mahadeo Mahadik, Arin Jagtap, Amrish Patel, Ramdas Kadam and Bhai Jagtap, respectively. Of the eight, the Congress is contesting four, NCP three, Shiv Sena three and the BJP five, which includes extending support to two independent candidates.
