(From left) BJP leaders Jyotiraditya Scindia, Piyush Goyal, Devendra Fadnavis, Chandrakant Patil and Dhananjay Mahadik on Saturday. (Express Photo: Pradip Das)AS 11 candidates remained in the fray for 10 seats on the last day of withdrawal of nominations for the state Legislative Council elections, the ruling MVA and opposition BJP are all set for another electoral battle, days after contentious Rajya Sabha elections in which BJP emerged as the winner.
The state Legislative Council polls are scheduled for June 20.
On the last day of withdrawal of nominations, Sadabhau Khot, who heads the Rayat Krantikari Sanghatana, pulled out of the race. NCP’s additional candidate Shivajirao Garje also dropped out.
While MVA has fielded six candidates, the BJP has nominated five candidates. To get elected to the Legislative council, each candidate will need 27 votes. With 106 MLAs, four BJP candidates are expected to have a cake-walk as five independent MLAs have already aligned with it.
On the MVA side, the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress have each fielded two candidates. While the NCP and Sena have the numbers to get two candidates elected, the Congress, with 44 MLAs, has numbers to get only one candidate elected.
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It will have to fight it out for votes from Independent legislators and MLAs of smaller parties to get the second candidate elected.
While in the Rajya Sabha election, it was a battle between Shiv Sena and BJP, for the 10th Legislative Council seat, it will be a fight between BJP and the Congress. During the Rajya Sabha elections, the MVA had suffered a setback as some Independents and MLAs of smaller parties, whom it was counting on, voted for the BJP candidate. Dhananjay Mahadik of the BJP had beaten Sanjay Pawar of the Shiv Sena.
BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said,”We tried to ensure unopposed election to the Legislative Council. There was discussion about Congress with drawing one of its candidates, but it refused to do so. The MVA is riven with internal contradictions and there is unrest and lack of coordination, which was reflected during the Rajya Sabha polls. The level to which the unrest has risen in MVA will be known during the Legislative Council polls.”
On the other hand, Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat said, “The MVA has learnt its lessons from the Rajya Sabha elections and we have tried to find out the reasons for the defeat. We have taken correctives measures and are confident. Independents and small parties’ MLAs will back our candidates. Both Congress candidates will win.”
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said he had no intention of “insulting” Independent MLAs.
Raut had alleged that at least six Independent MLAs had succumbed to the monetary bait of BJP which had allegedly indulged in horse-trading during the Rajya Sabha election. “I had not made any direct allegations against Independent MLAs. I had said that the BJP put them under pressure by threatening ED probe…,” he said.
Some Independent MLAs had also complained to NCP chief Sharad Pawar about Raut’s remarks against them.
For the Legislative Council polls, the Shiv Sena has fielded Sachin Ahir and Amasha Padvi. NCP has nominated Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkar and Eknath Khadse.
The Congress has fielded Bhai Jagtap, who is Mumbai Congress president, and Chandrakant Handore.
BJP has fielded Pravin Darekar, who is opposition leader in the state Legislative Council, prof Ram Shinde, Shrikant Bharatiya, Uma Khapre, who is the party’s state women’s Wing chief, and Prasad Lad.
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