Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar, Nana Patole
Elections for 11 Legislative Council seats are to be held in Maharashtra on Friday, while 12 candidates have contested. In such a situation, the election here has become very interesting. Amid the growing possibility of cross-voting in the elections, all political parties have started efforts to protect their MLAs and kept them in hotels. Meanwhile, on Thursday night, a day before polling, leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) held an important meeting at the ITC Grand Hotel. BJP and Shiv Sena also held a meeting with their respective MLAs.
MLAs and leaders from Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction, UBT), NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) attended the meeting. In the meeting, a strategy was formulated for 3 out of 11 seats of the Legislative Council. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, former CM Prithviraj Chavan and Nana Patole attended the meeting. Congress has the highest number of MLAs in Maha Vikas Aghadi with 37 MLAs. Shiv Sena (UBT) has 15 MLAs while NCP Sharad Pawar has 12 MLAs.
BJP MLAs also in the hotel
On the other hand, a meeting of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs was held at the Taj President Hotel in Mumbai. There are 103 BJP MLAs here. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and State President Chandrashekhar Bawankule reached the meeting of BJP MLAs. Where the strategy regarding the Legislative Council elections was discussed. BJP has 5 candidates in Legislative Council elections. A meeting of Shiv Sena (Shinde) MLAs was also held at Taj Land and Hotel in which Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was also present.
For voting, all MLAs will gather at the Vidhan Bhawan complex in South Mumbai where voting will take place from 9 am to 4 pm. Counting of votes will be done at 5 pm. 11 members of the Legislative Council of the Upper House of the State Assembly are retiring on July 27. In such a situation these elections are being held in case of his retirement.
Unity through dinner politics
All the political parties are trying to protect their MLAs and to keep all their MLAs together before the polls they organize dinners for them and arrange accommodation for them in hotels. This Legislative Council election is being held just 3 months before the Assembly elections to be held in the state. In such a situation, excitement is being seen regarding the elections.
Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Vijay Vadettiwar hosted a dinner and meeting for his party MLAs at a hotel last night. The Congress has issued a whip asking its MLAs to vote as per party instructions. According to Congress MLA leader Balasaheb Thorat, it has become mandatory for all our MLAs to vote in favor of MVA candidates.
Shiv Sena (Thakrey group) president Uddhav Thackeray, who is part of the MVA, spoke to his MLAs at a Mumbai hotel late on Wednesday night. 11 MLAs of the party attended this dinner. Then they stayed in the hotel. Later, the remaining 4 MLAs also reached the hotel with him. However, the Nationalist Congress (Sharad Pawar group) had expressed confidence in its MLAs and did not send them to hotels. While Ajit Pawar’s NCP has lodged its MLAs in a hotel near the airport.
