Maharashtra MLC Election: Ruling BJP, Sena, NCP Move MLAs To 5-Star Hotels

During Maharashtra's MLC elections, ruling parties BJP, Sena, and NCP move MLAs to five-star hotels to prevent cross-voting, while Sena instructs its members to gather in one place.

CM Eknath Shinde with State Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar during the Mahayuti meeting. (Image: ANI)

New Delhi: The new political drama is unfolding in Maharashtra as the state gears up to hold an election for 11 legislative Council seats on Friday. Two years ago, during Maharashtra's Legislative Council elections, unexpected outcomes were seen which caused the defeat of Congress's Chandrakant Handore. After this, it caused the downfall of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government shortly after by a rebellion led by Eknath Shinde and caused the split of the Shiv Sena.

Now the tables have turned as the ruling Mahayuti alliance feels the pressure while the opposition MVA alliance aims to secure victories for all three of its Candidates, supported by MLAs from the ruling bloc aligning with either Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena or Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Resort politics has made a comeback in Maharashtra after its unexpectedly good performance in the recent Lok Sabha Election, in which the alliance managed to secure 30 seats out of the state's 48 Lok Sabha constituencies.

With 12 candidates in the fray for 11 seats in the elections scheduled to be held on Friday, all three ruling parties have sensed the danger and shifted their MLAs to five-star hotels to prevent cross-voting. In the Opposition camp, only the Sena (UBT) has asked its MLAs to gather in one place.

In today's election in Maharashtra, 12 candidates contesting for 11 seats, all three ruling parties have recognised the risk and moved their MLAs to five-star hotels to avoid cross-voting. On the other hand, in the Opposition camp, only the Sena (UBT) has instructed its MLAs to assemble at a single location.

Following the unexpected victory in the Maharashtra Lok Sabha elections 2024, the ongoing MLC polls are important for the political parties. 

The Maharashtra Assembly consist of 288 seats and currently has 274 members which means that every MLC candidate needs 23 first-preference votes to get elected. 

The ruling Mahayuti is a part of the NDA alliance which consists of the BJP, the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar wing of the NCP, has nominated nine candidates in the polls and has 201 MLAs, including Independents and smaller parties.