MVA likely to field 3 candidates for MLC polls

Elections to 11 legislative council seats are due on July 12, with members of the state legislative assembly comprising the voters

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is mulling over fielding three candidates for the upcoming polls to the state legislative council, with an eye on surprising the ruling Mahayuti coalition. While MVA partners have the numbers to secure two seats in the polls comfortably, the coalition is hoping to win a third seat by garnering votes from its allies and dissidents from within the ruling camp.

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Elections to 11 legislative council seats are due on July 12, with members of the state legislative assembly comprising the voters. These 11 seats are separate from the four council seats reserved for teachers and graduates, for which polling was held on Wednesday.

The Mahayuti is likely to field candidates for seven of the 11 seats, with BJP contesting from five seats, and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party contesting two seats each.

The MVA, on the other hand, is looking to field three candidates. The Congress and the Shiv Sena (UBT) are likely to field one candidate each while Jayant Patil from the Peasants and Workers Party is likely to be the alliance’s third candidate.

Sources in the MVA explained the math behind the alliance’s efforts at securing a third seat. Each candidate in the polls would require at least 23 votes to secure a victory. The Congress has 37 MLAs in the assembly, so it can win one seat comfortably, with at least 10 votes to spare. These votes could be transferred to the Shiv Sena (UBT), which has 16 MLAs, helping the alliance win a second seat.

The NCP, led by Sharad Pawar, has another 12 MLAs, while smaller alliance partners such as the Samajwadi Party, Peasants and Workers’ Party, Communist Part of India, and Communist Part of India (Marxist) have five MLAs. If these votes are consolidated and some MLAs from the Ajit Pawar-led NCP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena who vote in favour of the MVA, it could win a third seat. Several MLAs from the two ruling parties are said to be in touch with their rival factions, with an eye on securing tickets for the upcoming assembly elections.