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Fadnavis pitches ‘two records’ in MLC polls; NCP (SP) MLA attends BJP campaign meet
Speaking in Kolhapur, Fadnavis said the election was about representing teachers and graduates rather than determining the government’s stability
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Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday pitched the prospects of electing a woman graduate representative and the youngest member from the teachers’ constituency to the Maharashtra Legislative Council, as the BJP stepped up its campaign for Pune division candidates Smita Jadhav and Kaustubh Gawade. Meanwhile, the presence of NCP (SP) MLA Narayan Patil at a BJP-Mahayuti campaign meeting in Barshi has raised eyebrows among political circles.
Speaking in Kolhapur, Fadnavis said the election was about representing teachers and graduates rather than determining the government’s stability. “The elections are not about which government will be formed or destabilised,” he said, adding that the Mahayuti already had a two-thirds majority in both the state assembly and legislative council.
“If both our candidates are elected, Kolhapur will create two records. Smita tai will become the first woman legislator from the Graduates’ constituency, while Kaustubh Gawade will be the youngest MLC in the history of the Teachers’ constituency,” he said.
Fadnavis said Gawade had become eligible to contest just two days before the nomination process, adding that he might not have entered the fray had the process begun 10-12 days earlier. He also urged voters to give first preference to both BJP candidates.
The chief minister cited the government’s education spending and recruitment initiatives, saying 10,000 teachers had been recruited and recruitment for another 30,000 posts was under way. He said Maharashtra’s education budget stood at ₹90,000 crore.
The campaign has also exposed political cross-currents in Solapur district. Patil, who represents the Karmala assembly constituency on the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) ticket, attended the Mahayuti meeting in Barshi on Sunday held for Jadhav and Gawade in the presence of higher and technical education minister Chandrakant Patil and guardian minister Jaykumar Gore. His presence on the BJP platform drew attention because his party is part of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi. “Patil has come to our platform because there is a lot of confusion among MVA candidates,” said BJP leader Chandrakant Patil.
At the same time, Gore also claimed that Patil and two more MLAs of MVA would support the Mahayuti candidates.
The Pune division elections are scheduled for October 23, with counting on October 27. The BJP has fielded Jadhav for the graduates’ constituency and Gawade for the teachers’ seat.
The MVA has fielded separate candidates for the graduate constituency, while the Shinde-led Shiv Sena has backed an independent candidate against the BJP nominee in the teachers’ constituency. These competing claims and alliances could influence the contest across Pune, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Solapur districts.
Beyond the political alignments, candidates face demands from teachers over non-academic workload, the old pension scheme, vacant posts, delayed promotions and the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET). For graduates, employment and skill development remain central campaign issues.
