Ensure win of your nominees in MLC polls: Sena to allies
MUMBAI: The Shiv Sena has asked each alliance partner in the ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to individually take responsibility for victory of its candidates in the upcoming state legislative council elections, people familiar with the development said on Sunday.
The decision comes days after the MVA — comprising Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) — failed to win the fourth Rajya Sabha seat out of the six from the state that went to polls on June 10.
Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Pawar lost to Dhananjay Mahadik of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Rajya Sabha polls and the Uddhav Thackeray-led party is not pleased with independent MLAS close to the NCP voting in favour of the opposition party.
“It is clear that any calculations based on the support of independents can fail. Each party must take charge of ensuring the victory of its nominee (instead of the MVA planning its strategy together),” a senior Shiv Sena leader and state minister told HT, requesting anonymity. “We have communicated this to the Congress and NCP.”
Elections for 10 vacant seats in the legislative council are scheduled for June 20. The elections will be held through secret ballot method from an electoral college of MLAS, raising the possibility of horse-trading and cross-voting. Another loss ahead of the local body elections, including that to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), might cause embarrassment to the ruling alliance.
Insiders in the MVA and BJP said that one candidate each from the ruling alliance and the opposition party may withdraw their nomination, leaving 11 in the fray for 10 seats. A candidate will need 26 to 27 votes to sail through, depending on the votes cast. “The independents who were close to the NCP did not vote for our candidate (in Rajya Sabha polls). Though we cannot put our finger on whether the NCP leadership or a section in it was complicit, these legislators may have been given certain commitments by the BJP,” the Sena leader quoted above said.
A Congress minister admitted that the council polls could throw up bigger surprises.