MLC BYPOLL: CROSS VOTING EXPECTED; BJP CLAIMS LAD WILL GRAB 203 VOTES
The bypoll for the sole seat to elect the member of state legislative council on December 7 would be a straight contest between Prasad Lad, candidate of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)Shiv Sena alliance, and Dilip Mane, candidate of opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). BJP tried for an unopposed poll but Congress did not respond and remained firm on contesting the poll.
As neither Mane and his rival candidate Lad withdrew their candidature from the poll fray on the last date for withdrawal of candidatures, it will be a direct contest between the two. With the Shiv Sena declaring its support to BJP’s Lad, the contest between Mane and Lad appears to be heavily one-sided. The only thing that remains to be seen is as to how many more votes that the ruling BJP-Sena alliance can manage to split the opposition CongressNCP’s vote bank.
Lad claimed that he would split votes from opposition and will win with huge margin of votes. BJP insider claimed as Lad though joined the BJP last year, was playing role of bridge between BJP and the NCP. 299 legislators from lower house are the voters of bypoll.
The BJP has 122 legislators and with Sena’s 63 legislators, their combined tally of votes is 185, which is 40 more than the required quota. The worry for the Congress is that its former leader Narayan Rane’s son Nitesh and his staunch supporter Kalidas Kolambkar are still Congress legislator. Besides this the Rane camp claims it enjoys support of four more Congress legislators. What remains to be seen is whether the Rane camp will extend its support to Lad. BJP has more 16 supporters from other parties and hence Lad’s tally will reach to 201. Whereas Congress has 42 and NCP has 41 lesgislators.