CAN MVA WIN 4 SEATS: EXPERTS SAY IT’S POSSIBLE

MUMBAI: The ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition parties found themselves in another battle on Friday after the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) raised complaints against the polling conduct of three MVA party legislators with the Election Commission of India (ECI) soon after the Rajya Sabha elections drew to a close on Friday evening.

MVA had calculated their numbers based on 42 first-preference votes for their four candidates. To achieve this, they required 168 votes — which they said they had. The required number of first-preference votes for a candidate to win in Friday’s polls is 41.

“We are in touch with those coordinating with the ECI, which is currently reviewing the objections raised by both sides. The voting quota was 42. There would be no impact on the verdict; MVA will win all four seats,” a senior Sena functionary said late on Friday.

Earlier on Friday, however, things didn’t seem so clear.

Anant Kalse, former secretary of the state legislature said that if all the four candidates of MVA succeeded in getting 42 firstpreference votes, and assuming that three votes challenged by the BJP were declared invalid (which would mean that each candidate could lose one firstpreference vote), the MVA still stood to win the polls in the first round itself.

“It all depends upon the number of votes. If the total number of valid votes is going down then the quota for winning the polls will also be reduced. It may create a problem for a candidate having the least number of firstpreference votes and is dependent on a second preference vote from other candidates. In such a case, if one of his party candidates could not get votes equal to quota then he cannot transfer his second preference votes to the one who candidate dependent on second-preference votes. To transfer second preference votes, a candidate is required to get quota votes,” Kalse said.

He also said that if no candidate could get the votes equal to the quota till the last round then the one having the least votes will be eliminated.

“The issue can be challenged [by either party] in the court by filing an election petition,” Kalse said.

Constitutional expert Ulhas Bapat said that the ECI is the final authority in the matter.