05 July,2024 06:40 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Pankaja Munde. File Pic
As many as 12 candidates including the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Pankaja Munde and Uddhav Thackeray's personal aide Milind Narvekar remaining in the fray, biennial elections 2024 to 11 seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Council will be held on July 12, reported the PTI.
Friday was the last date of withdrawal of nominations for the election in which Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) would cast vote.
The six-year-term of 11 sitting MLCs ends on July 27.
The BJP has fielded Pankaja Munde (who recently lost the Lok Sabha election from Beed), Amit Gorkhe, Sadabhau Khot and Yogesh Tilekar besides giving ticket again to Parinay Phuke, a sitting member of the council, according to the PTI.
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The Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has fielded former MPs Bhavana Gawli and Krupal Tumane. The Nationalist Congress Party led by deputy CM Ajit Pawar has fielded Shivajirao Garje and Rajesh Vitekar, as per the PTI.
On the Opposition side, Congress has given ticket again to sitting MLC Pradnya Satav. Jayant Patil of Peasants and Workers Party is seeking reelection as a candidate of the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).
Shiv Sena (UBT) has fielded Milind Narvekar, a close aide of party chief Uddhav Thackeray.
A candidate will require 23 votes to win. The current strength of the Maharashtra assembly is 274.
At present, the BJP has 103 MLAs, Shiv Sena 38, NCP 42 , Congress 37, Shiv Sena (UBT) 15 and NCP (SP) ten.
The Prahar Janshakti party has two MLAs, Jansurajya Party one, RSP one, PWP 1, BVA two, MNS one, CPM one, AIMIM two, Samajwadi Party two, Swabhimani Paksh one, Krantikari Shetkari Party one. There are 13 independent MLAs.
MVA leaders meet in Mumbai, discuss strategy for Jul 12 MLC polls
Meanwhile, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders met on Friday to discuss the alliance's strategy for the Maharashtra Legislative Council polls to 11 seats slated for July 12, as per the PTI.
The meeting took place in NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar's office at YB Chavan Centre in south Mumbai and was attended by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Congress leaders Prithviraj Chavan and Balasaheb Thorat, state Congress president Nana Patole and NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil.
Others who took part in the meeting included Congress' Naseem Khan, Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Aaditya Thackeray and Sanjay Raut as well as NCP (SP) leaders Anil Deshmukh, Rajesh Tope and Rohit Pawar.
MVA sources said the joint manifesto for the upcoming assembly polls was also discussed.
The Congress has fielded Pradnya Satav for the MLC polls, while the Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate is Milind Narvekar. The NCP (SP) is supporting Peasant and Workers Party's Jayant Patil.
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar left the meeting early as he had to board a flight for Nagpur. PTI MR
(with PTI inputs)
