Maharashtra Legislative Council Elections Heat Up

Voting for 11 seats of the Maharashtra Legislative Council is ongoing at Vidhan Sabha, with 12 candidates in the fray. The elections precede the state Assembly elections scheduled later this year.

The voting for the Maharashtra Legislative Council Elections is currently underway at Vidhan Sabha, with 11 seats up for grabs. Polls will be open until 4 pm today, with a total of 12 candidates competing.

This election is particularly significant, occurring just months before the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections slated for later this year. One of BJP's MLC candidates, Pankaja Munde, visited the Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai earlier today to offer prayers.

The BJP has nominated five candidates: Pankaja Munde, Yogesh Tilekar, Parinay Phuke, Amit Gorkhe, and Sadabhau Khot. Its allies Shiv Sena and NCP have fielded two candidates each—Krupal Tumane and Bhawana Gawl for Shiv Sena, and Rajesh Vitekar and Shivajirao Garje for NCP.

The elections are necessary as the six-year terms of the sitting MLCs are set to expire on July 27. To secure a seat, a candidate needs the votes of 23 MLAs. The current legislative strength stands with BJP leading with 103 MLAs, followed by Shiv Sena (38), NCP (42), Congress (37), Shiv Sena (UBT) (15), and NCP (Sharad Pawar) (10).