The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) legislators have once again cross-voted, resulting in the defeat of their candidate, Jayant Patil of the Peasants and Workers’ Party (PWPI), in the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) election. There were 12 candidates contesting for 11 seats in the Upper House, requiring 23 votes each to win. The ruling Mahayuti alliance fielded nine candidates, while the MVA fielded two and backed one.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates Pankaja Munde, Yogesh Tilekar, Parinay Phuke, Amit Gorkhe, and Sadabhau Khot won, along with Shiv Sena’s Krupal Tumane and Bhavana Gawali, and NCP’s Rajesh Vitekar and Shivajirao Garje. MVA candidates Pradnya Satav (Congress) and Milind Narvekar (Shiv Sena UBT) also secured enough votes to win.
The cross-voting speculation led the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP to sequester their legislators in hotels, while Congress held a dinner meeting, missing three MLAs who raised concerns about potential cross-voting. Results showed six to seven Congress MLAs voted against MVA, leading to Ms. Satav receiving 25 votes and Mr. Narvekar 22 votes, both below the quota.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde expressed confidence in their victory and future success in the Maharashtra Assembly election. The Congress objected to BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad casting his vote, but the Election Commission permitted it.
In summary, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance secured all nine seats it contested, demonstrating strong unity among its members and reducing the MVA’s chances of winning through cross-voting. This election filled vacancies created by the upcoming retirement of 11 members of the Upper House on July 27.
Kalyan Chandra
Kalyan chandra is a political strategist, media and communication consultant with the expertise in public relations, marketing, political research, election campaign management, psephology and digital analytics. He focuses on strategic political consulting, offering services that include competitive research, public opinion collection, and digital media management. Kalyan has significantly contributed to successful campaigns across India with his meticulous approach and deep understanding of the political landscape.
