Maharashtra: Big blow to MVA in MLC elections, BJP captured 4 out of 6 seats

In the elections held on six seats of the Maharashtra Legislative Council, the Bharatiya Janata Party won four seats, including Nagpur, giving a big blow to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which is in power in the state. BJP snatched Akola-Buldhana-Washim seat from Shiv Sena. Reacting to the party’s victory, Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Devendra Fadnavis said that BJP has broken the myth of MVA that all three parties (Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress) can win all elections in the state together.

Let us tell you that on December 10, the Election Commission had announced voting for six seats of the Maharashtra Legislative Council. In the elections held for two seats of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Sunil Shinde of Shiv Sena won one seat and Rajhans Singh of BJP won the other seat unopposed. In the Kolhapur and Nandurbar-Dhule Legislative Council elections, the Congress and the BJP won one seat each unopposed. Voting was held on December 10 in Nagpur and Akola-Buldhana-Washim seats. According to the District Information Office, out of 554 votes cast in Nagpur, BJP candidate and former state energy minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule got 362 votes, while MVA-backed independent candidate Mangesh Deshmukh had to be satisfied with 186 votes. In Akola-Washim-Buldhana, three-time MLC of Shiv Sena Gopikishan Bajoria was defeated by Vasant Khandelwal of BJP. Of the total 808 votes, Khandelwal got 443 while Bajoria got 334 votes.

This win shattered the myth of MVA: Fadnavis

On this victory of BJP, Fadnavis said, “The parties involved in MVA were claiming that all the three parties together will win all the elections. We have shattered this myth and I think this victory has laid the foundation for our future victories. Khandelwal attributed his victory to the successful strategy of his party.

Bawankule demanded the resignation of Nana Patole

Bawankule, on the other hand, said that the MVA had 240 votes. However, the MVA-backed candidate got only 186 votes. Bawankule hit out at Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole, accusing him of behaving in an autocratic manner and demanded his resignation. He said that Congress should introspect why their votes were divided. “For two days they indulged in horse-trading, yet they could not keep their party together,” he said. This is truly the defeat of the Congress leaders. Congress leaders are behaving in an autocratic manner. Nana Patole is not fit to work for the state unit of the party and he should resign.