The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday announced the names of five candidates for the May 12 elections to the Maharashtra Legislative Council.
The saffron party named Sunil Vinayak Karjatkar, Madhavi Naik, Sanjay Natthuji Bhende, Vivek Bipindada Kolhe and Pramod Shantaram Jathar as its nominees for the polls.
Meanwhile, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is yet to announce its nominee, though Vikram Sanjay Kakade is emerging as a frontrunner.
Party sources indicate that Kakade’s name has gained traction following backing from Rajya Sabha MP Parth Pawar.
However, the final decision on the MLC nomination is expected to be taken at an upcoming core committee meeting, where senior leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, are likely to be present.
Who is Vikram Sanjay Kakade?
Vikram Kakade is the son of former MP Sanjay Kakade.
He has a background in competitive shooting. He trained at the Gun for Glory Shooting Academy, founded by Olympian Gagan Narang, and has competed at the national level, including winning a gold medal in the double trap event at the G.V. Mavlankar Shooting Championships in 2013.
He is also associated with infrastructure and real estate businesses in Pune, linked to family-run enterprises.
Who are the other contenders in the NCP?
Suresh Birajdar, Zeeshan Siddiqui and Rajendra Jain are among the other leaders who could be considered by the party.
About the MLC polls
Polling for the elections will be held on May 12 from 9am to 4pm, and counting of votes will take place at 5pm the same day.
The last date for filing nominations is April 30. Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on May 2, while the last date for withdrawal of candidature is May 4.
A quota of 28 votes is required for a candidate to get elected to the Legislative Council. In the ruling Mahayuti alliance, the BJP has 132 MLAs, the Shiv Sena has 57, and the NCP has 41. Based on this strength, the alliance can ensure the victory of eight candidates.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has a combined strength of 46, which is sufficient to secure the election of one candidate. It will need an additional 10 votes to win a second seat, which appears difficult under the current numbers.
