Maharashtra Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. (File)As the final countdown began for the elections to 10 seats of the Maharashtra Legislative Council, to be held on Monday, prominent political parties in the state and their leaders continued furiously ‘guarding’ their members to prevent any chances of cross-voting. In the final round of the battle between ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and opposition BJP, political managers were busy reviewing their respective strategies to ensure everything goes well on polling day.
There are 11 candidates in the fray for the 10 seats, and there will be a direct fight between the MVA and BJP for the 10th seat. Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis has already made it clear that each and every vote will matter in the polls. Speaking to the media on Sunday, Fadnavis said, “At this point, I will say Council polls are tough but not impossible for the BJP.”
While reiterating confidence in getting all five candidates of the party — Praveen Darekar, Ram Shinde, Shrikant Bharatiya, Uma Khapre and Prasad Lad – elected, Fadnavis said, “We are hoping to utilise the unrest among MVA members to our advantage.” “… It seems each and every party within MVA is working independently to secure votes for its own candidates,” he added.
Disgruntled members of the MVA will look for an alternative forum and the BJP has provided them the platform to do so by fielding a fifth candidate, said the former chief minister.
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The BJP, which has 106 members in the Legislative Assembly, will need 24 additional votes to get all five candidates elected. The party had deputed at least half a a dozen leaders to reach out to smaller parties and Independents.
BJP leaders Girish Mahajan and Pravin Darekar on Saturday travelled by local train to personally meet Bahujan Vikas Aghadi chief Hitendra Thakur to seek his party’s support.
Apart from trying to rack up numbers to reach the 130-vote mark, the BJP is going to stress on strategical preferential voting, which will come in handy in case of a close contest.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray addressed party members at a city hotel on Sunday. The party has kept all its members under one roof in the hotel for the past three days.
Thackeray said the Legislative Council elections will show the country that there are no divisions in the MVA. He also ruled out the possibility of cross-voting.
“Not a single MLA of Sena was divided during Rajya Sabha polls. We have an idea what went wrong. There is no question of cross-voting tomorrow and there is no traitor in the party now,” he said.
In the Rajya Sabha elections held on June 10, BJP candidate Dhananjay Mahadik had beaten Sena candidate Sanjay Pawar for the sixth seat from the state.
“Tomorrow, we have to prove to the country that there is no split amongst us and show that arrogance of yours (Centre) won’t work in Maharashtra,” Thackeray said without naming the BJP. The Sena, which has 55 MLAs, needs only 52 votes to get both its candidates, Aamshya Padavi and Sachin Ahir, elected.
The party’s three extra votes are up for grabs, with its allies Congress and NCP vying for their respective candidates. The Congress, which has 44 MLAs in the Assembly, has fielded two candidates — Bhai Jagtap and Chandrakant Handore. It needs eight additional votes to get both leaders elected.
The Congress has also reached out to the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), which had pledged support to the party during the Rajya Sabha polls. Samajwadi Party, which has two votes, has been approached by both Congress and NCP.
On Sunday, party leaders and state ministers Ashok Chavan and Balasaheb Thorat met NCP leaders at Hotel Trident. They also sought an appointment with Thackeray but didn’t get one. “We are in talks with Shiv Sena leaders and are trying for an appointment with the CM. We are hopeful,” said Chavan.
As the CM didn’t meet Congress ministers, the latter went to Hotel Four Seasons, where Sena MLAs are camping, and started a meeting at 10 pm to decide the final strategy for Monday. Late in the night, Thackeray sent Sena MP Arvind Sawant to discuss the strategy for MLC polls with Congress leaders.
Senior NCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar also addressed party members on Sunday. The NCP, with 51 votes, needs just one vote to fill the required quota of 52 votes to get both its candidates – Ramraje Nimbalkar and Eknath Khadse – elected. “The Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena have two candidates each in Council polls. We are working to ensure all six MVA candidates win the polls,” said Pawar.
Khadse also met Hitendra Thakur on Sunday, requesting BVA’s support for its candidates. “Thakur is an old friend of mine. Our association goes beyond politics,” said Khadse. However, sources said Thakur has not made any commitments about the vote to Khadse.
Asked if Khadse, who was in the BJP till 2020, was going to try and seek support from his former party members, he said, “I have goodwill among BJP members. I have helped some of them get tickets and get elected in the past. But I don’t think anybody from BJP will do cross voting… Nobody from BJP has given me any assurance. They will vote for their own party candidates.”
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