MLC Election: Voting for the Maharashtra Legislative Council Election began on Friday (July 12) at 9 am. The biennial elections to 11 seats of the Council will go on till 4 pm. The counting of votes will begin at 5 pm. A total of 12 candidates are in the fray. The election comes just months ahead of the Assembly elections slated to take place in the state later this year.
Shiv Sena (UBT) on Friday demanded that the voting time for the Maharashtra Legislative Council polls be extended by an hour due to heavy rains in Mumbai. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde cast his vote in a ballot paper. A total of 222 MLAs cast their votes till 12 pm. 30 MLAs of Congress party cast their votes, including Nana Patole, Subhash Dhote, Ravindra Dhangekar.
Candidates in the fray
The BJP has fielded five candidates, its allies Shiv Sena and the NCP two each. In the Opposition MVA, the Congress and the Shiv Sena (UBT) have fielded one each and there is one nominee from the PWP. The NCP (SP) has not fielded any candidate and is supporting PWP's Jayant Patil.
How will the election take place?
Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), who form the electoral college for the polls, will gather in Vidhan Bhavan complex in south Mumbai where voting will take place from 9am to 4pm. Counting of votes will be taken up at 5pm.
Each winning candidate would need a quota of 23 first-preference votes. The 288-member legislative assembly is the electoral college for the polls and its current strength is 274.
The Congress has 37 MLAs, the Shiv Sena (UBT) 15 and the NCP (SP) 10. The Congress has issued a whip to its MLAs, asking them to vote as per the party directive. As per the directive, it is mandatory for all party MLAs to vote for the MVA candidates.
Number game:
- BJP: 103 MLAs
- Shiv Sena (Eknath shinde): 40
- NCP (AP): 40
- NCP (SP): 12
- Shiv Sena (UBT): 16
- Congress: 37
Total strength of house: 288
Present MLAs: 274 (to vote)
Opposition leaders attend dinner on eve of polls
On the eve of the polling for the elections, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and NCP (SP) state unit chief Jayant Patil on Thursday attended a dinner meet of Congress MLAs organised to discuss the Opposition strategy for the elections.
AICC in-charge of Maharashtra Ramesh Chennithala was also present at the city hotel where his party colleague and Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Vijay Wadettiwar had organised the meeting and the dinner on the eve of elections, where 12 candidates are in the fray. The Congress, the NCP (SP) and the Shiv Sena (UBT) are allies in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance.
Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) candidate Jayant Patil, who is seeking re-election as MLC and is being supported by the NCP (SP), attended the dinner meeting. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Anil Desai, party leader Vinayak Raut and Thackeray 's close aide Milind Narvekar, who is the 12th candidate in the fray, were also present.
The Congress has re-nominated sitting MLC Pradnya Satav and has 14 extra votes after fulfilling the quota of 23 ballots for her.
(With PTI inputs)
ALSO READ | MLC polls: MVA's key dinner meet to discuss strategy as 12 candidates in fray for 11 seats
