The NCP faction led by Sharad Pawar supported Jayant Patil of the Peasants and Workers Party. However, with only 13 MLAs, the NCP needed an additional 10 votes for his success.
In the recent legislative council election on July 12 in Maharashtra, Mahayuti (comprising Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP) successfully secured all nine of their candidates by meeting the required 23-vote quota. However, Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA), which fielded three candidates, only managed to win two seats. Jayant Patil, a prominent leader of the Peasants and Workers Party in Maharashtra, backed by Sharad Pawar and the NCP (SP), lost due to not securing the necessary 23 votes.
In the recent election, viewed as a prelude to the upcoming state assembly polls, both factions housed their MLAs in separate Mumbai hotels to prevent influence from the opposition. Conducted via secret ballot, this election recalled a similar scenario two years ago when the BJP alone defeated the then-ruling MVA alliance due to cross-voting by several MVA leaders.
In this latest contest, the ruling Mahayuti alliance fielded nine candidates. The BJP, with 103 MLAs, secured four seats with its five candidates, leaving it 12 votes short for the fifth seat. Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde, put forward two candidates but fell short by nine votes with its 37 MLAs. Ajit Pawar’s NCP, having 39 MLAs, was seven votes shy of the necessary count. Altogether, Mahayuti faced a deficit of 28 votes to win all nine seats contested.
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On the other side, the Congress, with 37 MLAs, nominated just one candidate, leaving it with 14 extra votes intended for distribution among its MVA allies. Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction supported Jayant Patil of the Peasants and Workers Party, but with only 13 MLAs, he needed an additional 10 votes. Despite these efforts, the final outcome did not favor the MVA as they lost one seat to Mahayuti.
The ruling Mahayuti leaders attribute their victory to Devendra Fadnavis, praising his skill with numbers which has proven effective three times in a row: first in 2022 during the Rajya Sabha and State Legislative Council elections, and now again in 2024 during the State Legislative Council election for 11 seats.
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According to official figures, BJP’s Pankaja Munde, Parinay Phuke, Yogesh Tilekar, and Amit Gorkhe each received 26 votes. The fifth BJP candidate, Sadabhau Khot, secured 23 votes and won through second preference votes. Shiv Sena’s Bhavana Gawali, led by Eknath Shinde, received 24 votes, while Krupal Tumane garnered 25 first preference votes. Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction successfully elected both Shivajirao Garje with 24 votes and Rajesh Vitekar with 23 votes.
Meanwhile, Congress candidate Pradnya Satav received 25 votes, and Shiv Sena’s UBT candidate Milind Narvekar won with 22 votes through second preference votes. Jayant Patil, supported by Sharad Pawar’s Peasants and Workers Party, secured only 12 votes.
On the other side, the Congress, with 37 MLAs, nominated just one candidate, leaving it with 14 extra votes intended for distribution among its MVA allies. Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction supported Jayant Patil of the Peasants and Workers Party, but with only 13 MLAs, he needed an additional 10 votes. Despite these efforts, the final outcome did not favor the MVA as they lost one seat to Mahayuti.
The Ajit Pawar-led NCP, which had two candidates, fell short by about 8 votes initially. Initially expected to lose one seat, the NCP managed to secure victories for both its candidates with the help of cross-votes from eight Congress MLAs. Congress State chief Nana Patole has warned of severe disciplinary actions against those involved in cross-voting.