Maharashtra MLC election: BJP to contest 4 seats, says state party chief

Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party will contest four of the nine seats, said Maharashtra state unit president Chandrakant Patil. On Friday, after a request from Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, the Election Commission of India announced the elections including the dates.
Nine MLC seats fell vacant on April 24 but elections were deferred on account of the Covid19 lockdown. The last date for filing of nominations is May 11 and the polling will be held on May 21 and votes will be counted the same day.
Patil said the final decision on candidates will be taken by the BJP central parliamentary board. The announcement, he said, had taken them by surprise and he would sit tonight to draw up the list of probable candidates. The party he said has 105 MLAs and enjoys support of 14 others. “We need 116 votes for four seats. In fact we have three extra votes,” he said.
“Given the lockdown, candidates will find it very difficult to submit all requisite documents. The Centre has extended the deadline for filing returns on account of the covid19 crisis. You need a notary, a NOC from the municipal corporation where you reside. Most government offices are not fully functional. Even chief minister Uddhav Thackeray will find it difficult to get all documents in order. We shall request the Election Commission to accept forms with some documents and allow time for submission of others.
Patil said he would request the central parliamentary board to finalise the candidates by May 3 so that they can file their nominations by May 8.