BJP announces names for five council seats, one bypoll

The party has announced the candidature of Sunil Karjatkar, Madhavi Naik, Pramod Jathar, Sanjay Bhende and Vivek Kolhe for the biennial elections scheduled for May 12

MUMBAI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced its candidates for the upcoming biennial elections to the state legislative council, rewarding loyalists for the five seats it is contesting of the nine being contested in Maharashtra, and one for a byelection.

Pradnya Satav will be the party’s candidate for the byelection necessitated by her own resignation after she switched from the Congress to the BJP in December last year

The party has announced the candidature of Sunil Karjatkar, Madhavi Naik, Pramod Jathar, Sanjay Bhende and Vivek Kolhe for the biennial elections scheduled for May 12. Pradnya Satav will be the party’s candidate for the byelection necessitated by her own resignation after she switched from the Congress to the BJP in December last year. The byelection will be the sixth seat being contested by the BJP and the tenth being contested in the poll.

Nine council members, including former chief minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, will retire on May 13. Of the nine vacant seats, the ruling Mahayuti alliance is contesting eight – BJP (5), Shiv Sena (2), NCP (1) – and the opposition MVA alliance will contest one seat.

Based on its strength in the legislative assembly, the BJP is expected to win all six seats it is contesting. Its allies, the Sena and NCP, as well as the opposition MVA are yet to announce their candidates. The last day for filing nominations is April 30.

The BJP has handpicked loyalists, including former state joint general-secretary Sunil Karjatkar, general-secretary Madhavi Naik, spokesperson Pramod Jathar, and its former state executive committee member, Sanjay Bhende. Vivek Kolhe, son of former BJP MLA Snehalata Kolhe, has also been given a ticket after missing out in the 2024 assembly elections, when the seat went to sitting NCP MLA Ashitosh Kale.

Pradnya Satav was the obvious choice for the byelection, as the party had assured her a berth when she joined the BJP while serving as a sitting MLC from the Congress. She will now serve the remainder of her three-year term.

The BJP has also ensured that two of its six candidates are women, amid the ongoing debate over 33% reservation for women in legislatures. The party has also ensured a regional and caste balance: three of its six candidates are from OBC communities, while the remaining represent the Maratha, Brahmin and SC categories, and they hail from different regions.

The Mahayuti’s alliance partners are yet to announce their candidates. However, the Sena is likely to have its candidates file their nominations without officially announcing their names to avoid discontent among aspirants.

The opposition MVA is expected to win only one seat based on its collective strength of 47 MLAs against the required 29 votes for victory. Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray is likely to be the MVA candidate for the lone seat.

Since the BJP has not fielded candidates in excess of its winning strength, elections to all ten seats are expected to be uncontested.