Lagatar24 Desk
Mumbai: In a significant political victory, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra, which includes Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s NCP, triumphed in the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) polls, winning 9 out of the 11 contested seats. This comes as a rebound for the alliance following a less favorable outcome in the recent general elections.
The BJP fielded five candidates, among them Pankaja Munde, daughter of the late senior leader Gopinath Munde, and secured wins for all. The Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP each nominated two candidates, all of whom were victorious.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, comprising the Congress, and factions of the Sena and NCP led by Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar, respectively, fielded three candidates but faced a challenging contest.
The MLC election, regarded as a precursor to the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections later this year, witnessed celebratory remarks from BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who posted “9/9” on X (formerly Twitter), accompanied by a thumbs-up emoji.
Ajit Pawar expressed gratitude towards the supporting MLAs, stating, “Five MLAs supported us, I thank them. When there are elections, allegations are made but I do not think about it…” He added, “Mahayuti should get such success in the Vidhan Sabha as well…”
Voting was conducted for 11 seats with 12 candidates in the fray. Given that MLCs are elected indirectly by Assembly lawmakers, the results were somewhat anticipated. The BJP, with its 103 MLAs, was assured of four seats and required an additional 12 votes for the fifth seat. The Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, with 37 and 39 MLAs respectively, faced similar shortfalls but managed to secure the required votes through strategic alliances and possibly cross-voting.
The Congress, with 37 MLAs, fielded one candidate, leaving surplus votes intended for its MVA partners. The NCP faction led by Sharad Pawar supported Jayant Patil of the Peasants and Workers Party but was short by 10 votes, while Thackeray’s Sena also fell short despite putting up one candidate.
Cross-voting was suggested as a factor in the final outcome, with votes from external MLAs including those from the Samajwadi Party, AIMIM, CPIM, and an independent MLA playing a crucial role.
The MLC election saw fears of horse-trading and poaching, prompting precautionary measures and the typical resort politics that have become a feature of Indian elections.
