Maharashtra MLC Election: Congress Warns of Action Against MLAs Who Cross-Voted In Favour Of Mahayuti

Following the defeat of the MVA in the Maharashtra MLC polls, the Congress party has said that it will take action against those who cross-voted in the elections in favour of Mahayuti. 

Maharashtra MLC Polls: After Maha Vikas Aghadi conceded a defeat in the crucial election of the legislative council in Maharashtra on Friday, the Congress, one of the partners in the state coalition, has said that it will take strict disciplinary action against those who have cross-voted in the polls. The state legislative council elections in Maharashtra took place on July 12.

According to a report in News 18, eight MLAs of the grand old party had cross-voted in the MLC election and helped the Ajit Pawar-led NCP ensure victories for both its candidates. Congress State chief Nana Patole has stated, “The party will take strict disciplinary action against those who have cross-voted.”

The ruling Mahayuti alliance of the BJP, Shiv Sena, and the NCP in the state won all nine seats it contested in the biennial elections to 11 seats for the state legislative council.

In the results announced, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won five seats, while Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) bagged two each.

From the opposition, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), Milind Narvekar, a close aide of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, and Congress candidate Pradnya Satav registered victories in the polls. Peasants and Workers' Party (PWP) candidate Jayant Patil, who was supported by Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), conceeded defeat in the elections.

The polls were necessitated as 11 members of the legislative council (MLCs) are completing their six-year term on July 27. The 288-member legislative assembly was the electoral college for the polls, and its current strength is 274.

Each winning candidate required a quota of 23 first-preference votes.

The saffron party is the largest party in the assembly, with 103 members, followed by the Shiv Sena (38), NCP (42), Congress (37), Shiv Sena (UBT) (15), and NCP (SP) (10).

The BJP had fielded five candidates—former Maharashtra minister Pankaja Munde, Yogesh Tilekar, Parinay Phuke, Amit Gorkhe, and Sadabhau Khot—and its ally Shiv Sena two—former Lok Sabha MPs Krupal Tumane and Bhavana Gawali. The NCP had given tickets to Shivajirao Garje and Rajesh Vitekar.

The Congress had nominated Satav for another term, while Sena (UBT) had fielded Narvekar. The third MVA constituent, NCP (SP), did not field its nominee and instead extended support to PWP's Jayant Patil.