Mumbai: Six seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, which will be elected by the civic body representatives, will go to polls on Monday. The seats are Konkan (Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg), Nashik, Parbhani-Hingoli, Amravati, Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli and Osmanabad-Beed-Latur.
All eyes are fixed on the Osmanabad-Beed-Latur seat, which has turned into a prestige battle between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Women and Child Welfare Minister Pankaja Munde, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by her cousin Dhananjay Munde, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Council.
Despite having lashed out at each other and the Shiv Sena’s decision to go alone in polls, the Sena and the BJP are contesting three seats each. The Sena is contesting from Konkan, Nashik and Parbhani-Hingoli. The NCP is taking on the Sena in Konkan and Nashik, while the Mundes are involved in a bitter rivalry at Osmanabad-Beed-Latur. The Congress is contesting the other three seats.
The battle between the Mundes has been in the news after NCP candidate Ramesh Karad withdrew from the election at the last minute, following which the NCP extended support to Ashok Jagdale. The BJP imported former NCP leader Suresh Dhas and gave him the ticket.
Ms. Munde’s decision on Saturday to stay the disqualification of six zilla parishad members and allow them to vote in the poll, has irked the NCP with the latter alleging violation of a High Court order.
In Konkan, NCP’s Aniket Tatkare, who is taking on the Sena’s Rajiv Sable, has received backing from the BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP, Narayan Rane, who enjoys support in Sindhudurg district.
Pravin Pote, Minister of State for Industries, who will be contesting from Amravati, is being challenged by Anil Madhogaria of the Congress.
According to party-wise representation in the civic bodies, the BJP is expected to win the Amravati and Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli seats, while the Congress looks comfortable to score in Parbhani-Hingoli. The counting of votes will be held on May 24.
