MLC Elections: Uddhav Thackeray and eight others set to get elected unopposed

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and eight other candidates contesting the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) elections are set to get elected unopposed. Of the 14 nominees for the legislative council elections in Maharashtra on nine vacancies, five candidates either withdrew their nomination or the same was rejected over technical grounds on Tuesday. 

Two candidates each from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) withdrew their nominations while the papers of one Independent candidate was rejected. 

The Chief Electoral Officer informed that four candidates including BJP’s Sandeep Lele and Ajit Gopchade and NCP’s Kiran Pawaskar and Shivajirao Garje withdrew their nominations. The papers of Independent candidate Shehbaz Rathod were found invalid during scrutiny, the officer added. 

The alliance partners in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) are contesting on five seats - Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray and Neelam Gorhe, NCP’s Shashikant Shinde and Amol Mitakri, Congress’ lone candidate Rajesh Rathod. 

On the other, the opposition BJP has fielded four candidates including Pravin Darke, Gopichand Padalkar, Ramesh Karad and Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil. The saffron party on Tuesday replaced one of its candidates (Ajit Gopchade) in favour of Ramesh Karad who hails from Latur. 

All the nine candidates are set to be announced as elected unopposed on Thursday which is the last day of withdrawing the nominations for the MLC polls. An official informed that a notification would be issued regarding the election and completion of the same. 

In a last-minute change, the BJP decided to field Ramesh Karad while replacing Dr Ajit Gopchade. Karad is considered a close confidant of Pankaja Munde, daughter of late Gopinath Munde. 

Senior BJP leaders Pankaja Munde and Eknath Khadse were expecting the council seat for themselves. However, the top leadership of BJP in Maharashtra didn’t approve of the same. On the issue of being sidelined, Eknath Khadse has hinted towards his resignation from the saffron party and said that he will take a call on his future course after the coronavirus crisis. 

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