Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde Votes in Legislative Council Elections

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde cast his vote in the Legislative Council elections at Vidhan Sabha on Friday.

Congress Demands Voting Restrictions

Earlier, Congress wrote to election officials to restrict BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad from voting due to his judicial custody over a firing incident involving Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde faction leader Mahesh Gaikwad. Congress cited Section 62(5) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

Shiv Sena Leaders Arrive

Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Sanjay Raut and Aditya Thackeray arrived at the Maharashtra Assembly for the elections.

Voting Details

Voting is underway for 11 seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, with 12 candidates in the fray. The elections are taking place just months before the Assembly elections later this year. BJP’s MLC candidate Pankaja Munde visited Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai to offer prayers ahead of the elections.

Candidate Details

The BJP has fielded five candidates: Pankaja Munde, Yogesh Tilekar, Parinay Phuke, Amit Gorkhe, and Sadabhau Khot. Shiv Sena has fielded Krupal Tumane and Bhawana Gawli, while NCP has fielded Rajesh Vitekar and Shivajirao Garje.

MLC Election Quota

The elections are for 11 seats as the six-year tenure of the current MLCs ends on July 27. To elect one MLC, the votes of 23 MLAs are required. The BJP leads with 103 MLAs, followed by Shiv Sena (38), NCP (42), Congress (37), Shiv Sena (UBT) (15), and NCP (Sharad Pawar) (10).