The Maharashtra Legislative Council has seen a split in the four seats that were up for grabs in the recent polls, with the ruling MahaYuti and the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) bagging two seats each. The BJP emerged victorious in the Konkan seat, while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena secured the Nashik seat, both from the MahaYuti side. However, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, which is a part of the Opposition MVA, walked away with both State Legislative Council seats in the Mumbai and Nashik divisions.
The polls were necessitated by the retirement of four members, including Vilas Potnis of Sens (UBT) from the Mumbai Graduates’ constituency, Niranjan Davkhare of BJP from the Konkan Division Graduates’ constituency, Kapil Patil of Lok Bharti from the Mumbai Teachers’ constituency, and Kishore Darade, an Independent, from the Nashik Division Teachers’ constituency. The vacancies were caused by the retirement of the four members on June 7.
Uddhav Thackeray (Via Uddhav Thackeray/Twitter)
Two winners from the Shiv Sena (UBT) emerged victorious, with Anil Parab winning the Mumbai Graduates’ constituency and Prof Jagannath Abhyankar winning the Mumbai Teachers’ constituency. Meanwhile, Niranjan Davkhare of the BJP won the Konkan Division Graduates’ constituency for the fourth term, defeating Congress candidate Ramesh Keer. Kishore Darade of Shiv Sena won the Nashik Division Teachers’ constituency, defeating Vivek Kolhe of BJP, who was contesting as an independent candidate, Sandeep Gulve of Shiv Sena (UBT), and Mahendra Bhavsar of Ajit Pawar-led NCP.
In the battle for the Mumbai Graduates’ constituency, Anil Parab defeated Kiran Shelar of the BJP, who is a close aide of the Thackeray family. In the Mumbai Teachers’ seat, Prof Abhyankar trounced Subhash More of Shikshak Bharti, while Shivnath Darade of BJP defeated Shivaji Nalawade of NCP.
The results reflect the tight political contest between the MahaYuti and the MVA, with both sides having won two seats each. The outcome of the polls could have significant implications for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly polls, scheduled for October this year.
