Stage all set for June 20 Maharashtra legislative council election

BJP’s list features both party loyalists and new entrants; Congress and Sena field known candidates

Maharashtra is set to witness yet another election for June 20, this time for 10 seats of the State legislative council.

Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday announced the names of five candidates. Ruling Shiv Sena and Congress too announced two candidates each, while Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is expected to announce the names by late Wednesday night.

With an eye on upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, Congress has fielded two candidates from Mumbai, namely Chandrakant Handore, former MLA from city’s eastern suburbs and Mumbai Congress chief Bhai Jagtap.

Sena too has given the opportunity to Sachin Ahir, who dropped his claim on Worli Assembly constituency in 2019 for Aaditya Thackeray. Party’s second candidate is tribal leader Amshya Padvi, who is the Nandurbar district chief of the Sena and lost to Congress’ K.C. Padvi in 2019 Assembly polls by a thin margin of over 1,000 votes.

BJP’s list features both party loyalists and new entrants. It has repeated Leader of Opposition in council Pravin Darekar and Prasad Lad, a loyalist of former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Ram Shinde, an OBC leader from Ahmadnagar district and former minister; Shrikant Bharatiya, a party insider; Uma Khapre, State BJP women wing president have also been nominated. Except for Ms. Khapre, rest filed their nominations on Wednesday. June 9 is the last date to file the nomination.

The BJP’s decision to neglect Pankaja Munde, yet again, has raised questions on whether the party has decided to sideline the Munde family. This is the third time that Ms. Munde has been denied a nomination. “Decisions within our party are taken by central leadership. It is likely that they have some other role in mind for Pankaja Munde. It is baseless to say that party is ignoring her,” said State BJP chief Chandrakant Patil.

Quota of votes for the council election is of 27 and based on that Opposition BJP can elect four of its MLCs as six of its members will be retiring. The ruling MVA had proposed that in return to making Rajya Sabha election unopposed, it will ensure victory of fifth BJP candidate in State council, which the BJP declined. The MVA is confident of winning six seats with two seats going to each of the MVA constituents.