Mumbai, July 2 (IANS) With the Shiv Sena (UBT) nominating party chief Uddhav Thackeray’s close confidant Milin Narvekar, a contest seems inevitable in the biennial elections to the 11 seats of the Maharashtra Legislative Council scheduled on July 12.
Tuesday was the last day for filing nominations for the biennial elections.
All the candidates, including five BJP nominees, two each from Shiv Sena and NCP, and one each from Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) have filed their nominations. Based on the present strength of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly of 274 seats, the quota is 23 votes.
The BJP has nominated former ministers Pankaja Munde and Parinay Phuke, along with Amit Gorkhe, Sadabhau Khot, and Yogesh Tilekar.
The Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has fielded former MPs Krupal Tumane and Bhawana Gawli, while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar has nominated Rajesh Vitekar and Shivajirao Garje.
The Congress has renominated Pradyna Satav, the NCP (SP) is supporting sitting MLC and PWP legislator Jayant Patil, while Narvekar has been fielded by the Shiv Sena (UBT).
The last date for withdrawing nominations is July 5 while the elections will take place on July 12.
With 103 legislators, the BJP is confident about the victory of its five nominees, while the Shiv Sena with 37 legislators and support from 10 Independents is also sure of its two candidates winning the polls.
The NCP with 39 legislators also sees no problem for its two nominees.
The Congress is confident of the victory of its lone nominee with its strength of 37 legislators.
However, PWP’s Jayant Patil, and Shiv Sena (UBT) nominee Milind Narvekar are banking on excess votes from Congress and also from the support from 16 legislators of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and 13 MLAs of NCP (SP). They are also expecting support from a few Independent legislators.
The biennial elections were necessitated because 11 MLCs are retiring.
They are: Manisha Kayande (Shiv Sena), Anil Parab (Shiv Sena-UBT), Vijay Girkar, Nilay Naik, Ramesh Patil, and Ramrao Patil (BJP), Abdullah Durrani (NCP), Wajahat Mirza and Pragya Satav (Congress), Mahadev Jankar (RSP), and Jayant Patil (PWP).
–IANS
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