Mahayuti MLAs shifted to hotels amid cross-voting fears in Council elections
Uddhav-led Shiv Sena (UBT) legislators too check in at Mumbai hotel a day before crucial polls; 12 candidates in fray for 11 seats after Maha Vikas Aghadi makes a desperate bid to win a third seat
Resort politics has made a comeback after two years in Maharashtra, with the BJP and its ruling Mahayuti alliance partners on Thursday shifting their MLAs to three Mumbai hotels fearing cross-voting during the State Legislative Council elections slated for Friday.
The Shiv Sena (UBT), which along with the Congress and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) is part of the Opposition’s Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), also took its 16 legislators to Hotel ITC Grand Central in Lower Parel.
The BJP’s 103 MLAs were taken to Taj President, Cuffe Parade, while 40 legislators of Chief Minister Shinde-led Shiv Sena were shifted to sea-facing Taj Lands End in Bandra.
The 40 legislators belonging to Deputy CM Ajit Pawar-led NCP checked in at Andheri’s The Lalit.
The development comes in the backdrop of 12 candidates contesting 11 seats in the Upper House of the State Legislature with the Shiv Sena (UBT) fielding its chief Uddhav Thackeray’s close aide Milind Narvekar as the third candidate of the Opposition alliance.
The MVA’s three partners have a combined strength of 65 MLAs, enough to win two seats and are short of at least four votes to get all the three candidates elected.
However, with the support of the Samajwadi Party (2), Communist Party of India-Marxist (1) and Peasants and Workers Party of India (1), the MVA is hoping to touch the required 69 mark to win all three seats as each candidate will be requiring at least 23 votes to clinch the contest.
‘Defection fears’
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former Minister Bhaskar Jadhav on Thursday told reporters that one of the BJP candidates is set to lose, stoking speculations that the Mahayuti MLAs wanting to join the Opposition camp after the ruling alliance’s poor show in Lok Sabha poll may have been asked to prove their loyalty by voting for the MVA bloc.
Last week, Mr. Thackeray also had expressed confidence that all MVA candidates would win the elections.
Before the MVA sprung a surprise by fielding a third candidate, the Mahayuti alliance was expected to win nine seats as it has the support of more than 200 MLAs, including Independents, in the Assembly, whose existing strength is 274 as 14 seats are vacant due to varied reasons.
The Congress has fielded Pradnya Satav while the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) is backing Peasants and Workers’ Party of India sitting MLC Jayant Patil.
The Mahayuti candidates contesting the elections include BJP’s Pankaja Munde, Amit Gorkhe, Sadabhau Khot, Yogesh Tilekar and Parinay Phuke. Mr. Shinde’s Shiv Sena has fielded former Lok Sabha members Bhawana Gawli and Krupal Tumane.
The NCP has fielded Shivajirao Garje and Rajesh Vitekar.
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Maharashtra
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