Maharashtra: Setback for BJP in MLC polls

In the legislative council polls the BJP suffered a setback CongressMVAsponsored Sudhakar Adbole defeating the sitting MLC from the Nagpur teachersrsquo constituencymdashNago Ganar a BJPsupported independentmdashby a big margin This time the people within the BJP disputed Ganarrsquos candidature and the saffron partyrsquos change of stance on the old pension scheme is reported to have impacted the result The BJP however wrested the Konkan teachersrsquo seat from the Peasants and Workers Party PWPMVAThe BJP however wrested the Konkan teachersrsquo seat from the Peasants and Workers Party PWPMVAIn the Amravati graduatesrsquo segment the BJPrsquos sitting member Dr Ranjeet Patil was trailing Dheeraj Lingade of the CongressMVA It turned out to be a cliffhanger because the gap was very thin but continued to give the Congressman an edge In the Nasik graduatesrsquo segment a Congress rebel Satyajeet Tambe was leading against Shiv Sena UBTMVArsquos Shubhangi Patil by a huge margin that appeared impossible to plugSupporters of BJP leader Dnyaneshwar Mhatre celebrate after he won from Konkan seat in the MLC elections in Navi Mumbai on Thursday PicPTIThe elections to three teachersrsquo Konkan Nagpur and Aurangabad and two graduatesrsquo Nasik and Amravati constituencies were held in the last week of January The preferential votes were counted on Thursday Each segment is spread across multiple districts that constitute revenue divisions The electoral colleges here arenrsquot as crowded as the Assembly segments because only eligible and registered individuals vote in these elections that have electoral rolls made afresh every six years These elections are not fought on party symbols but registered parties either set up their candidates or support stronger ones in the field Like other upper house elections the polling is preferential and counting is a complex and timeconsuming processAlso Read Maharashtra BJP to field its own candidate for MLC polls to Konkan teachers constituencyThe NCPMVArsquos sitting member Vikram Kale retained his winning position very comfortably in the Aurangabad teachersrsquo constituency He beat BJPrsquos Kiran PatilBJPrsquos loss and gain In what can be called a compensation for a stunner in Nagpur BJPrsquos Dyaneshwar Mhatre recorded a big win over PWPrsquos sitting MLC Balaram Patil from the Konkan teachersrsquo segment Trends in Amravati indicated another upset for the BJP Dr Patil former minister of state for home wasnrsquot able to break Lingadersquos lead till the time midday went to printThe Congress claimed the Nagpur seat after 12 years amid turmoil in its rank and file The rebellion in Nasik the lastminute selection of Amravati candidate and internal skirmish in the Nagpur unit overshadowed its campaign Yet the party scraped through with muchneeded support from the MVA partners and teachersrsquo associations in the Nagpur divisionThis is the second such success of the Congress in Nagpur in two years In December 2020 its candidate Abhijeet Wanjari won the Nagpur graduatesrsquo constituency where the BJP held fort for 58 years This time the people within the BJP and the partysponsored teachersrsquo associations disputed Ganarrsquos candidature The BJPShinde Sena governmentrsquos initial announcement against reviving the old pension scheme which was backtracked during the campaign is reported to have impacted the result However the observation didnrsquot support the argument in the Konkan teachersrsquo segment where the BJPsupported nominee won handsomelyIn Nasik Satyajeet Tambe could have officially added to the Congressrsquos tally in the upper house but he chose to be an independent after his father a sitting MLC refused to be the partyrsquos official candidate The father did not file his papers but pushed the son upfront The Congress suspended the Tambes who tacitly sought the BJPrsquos support which apparently came their way