Legislative council polls: Mumbai sees 83%, 53% voting in two constituencies

The counting of votes will be held on June 28.

The elections for Mumbai teachers’ and graduates’ constituency recorded around 83% and 53% voting respectively. The two seats are part of the elections held for four seats of the state legislative council on Monday. The counting of votes will be held on June 28.

The Konkan graduates constituency election centre at Khopat in Thane. (Praful Gangurde)

The election assumes significance considering that the warring allies — Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena, are contesting against each other over three seats. Both parties have pitted candidates for Mumbai graduates’ constituency, Mumbai Konkan constituency and Konkan graduates’ constituency. The polls may further widen rift between the allies.

For Mumbai graduates’ constituency, the BJP has pitted Dr Amit Mehta against Sena’s Vilas Potnis while the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have extended their support to Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) candidate advocate Rajendra Korde.

For Mumbai teachers’ constituency too, BJP’s Anil Deshmukh and Sena’s Shivaji Shendge are contesting against each other. The fight for this seat will be interesting considering the Congress and NCP are supporting Lok Bharti candidate and the sitting member of legislative council (MLC) Kapil Patil.

For Konkan graduates’ constituency too, the BJP has fielded the outgoing MLC Niranjan Davkhare from NCP , who has recently shifted loyalty to the saffron party against Sena’s Sanjay More. NCP candidate Najeeb Mulla has got support from both Congress and PWP.

For Nashik teachers’ constituency again, Congress and NCP have come together against the BJP candidate Aniket Patil, son of former union minister and Congress leader Vijay Patil. NCP has pitted Sandeep Bedse, former personal assistant of former deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal.

The biennial elections were declared by the Election Commission of India (ECI) as terms of four MLCs will end on July 7. The retiring MLCs are Deepak Sawant (Shiv Sena), Kapil Patil (Lok Bharti), Niranjan Davkhare (NCP) and Apoorva Hire (Independent).