Mumbai:
Four candidates from the ruling coalition and five from the BJP were today elected to the Legislative Council in Maharashtra amid cross voting by Congress members. The result for one seat, for which two Congress candidates are now facing each other, is yet to be declared. The contest for the 10th seat has become a prestige battle for the state’s ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi after the Shiv Sena candidate’s defeat in the recently held Rajya Sabha elections.
In the already declared results, Shiv Sena candidates Sachin Ahir and Amshya Padvi won. Eknath Khadse and Ramraje Nimbalkar of Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party did the same. BJP’s Shrikant Bharti, Praveen Darekar, Uma Khapre and Ram Shinde also won.
The results of Congress candidates Chandrakant Handore and Bhai Jagtap are yet to come. The fate remains unknown even to Prasad Lad of the BJP. Only two out of three will be able to go to the Legislative Council.
Sources said that 44 Congress MLAs are present in the assembly, but the results made it clear that only 41 MLAs have voted for the Congress in the first preference. Three Congress MLAs have done cross voting. Results are yet to come.
Overall, 11 candidates were in the race for 10 seats in the Legislative Council, with MVA allies Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress fielding two candidates each. BJP has nominated five candidates.
While nine candidates were assured victory given the strength of the parties in the state assembly, the main contest was between Congress’ Mumbai president Bhai Jagtap and BJP’s Prasad Lad.
Each candidate needs the support of at least 26 MLAs to win, and 29 MLAs from smaller parties or independents will play a key role in the election.