Mumbai: The first election after the Lok Sabha polls has resulted in a tie with the ruling BJP-led Maha Yuti (NDA) and opposition Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (I.N.D.I.A) winning two seats each in the Maharashtra Legislative Council - in the run up to the Vidhan Sabha polls.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena repeated its performance in Mumbai in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections when it bagged both the seats of the financial capital while BJP won the Konkan seat and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena Nashik.
Four seats of the Maharashtra Legislative Council that went to polls last week are Mumbai Graduates’ constituency, Mumbai Teachers’ constituency, Konkan Division Graduates’ constituency, Nashik Division Teachers’ constituency.
The two Shiv Sena (UBT) winners are Anil Parab from Mumbai Graduates’ constituency and Prof Jagannath Abhyankar from Mumbai Teachers’ constituency.
While BJP’s Niranjan Davkhare won the Konkan Division Graduates’ constituency, Shiv Sena’s Kishore Darade won the Nashik Division Teachers’ constituency.
Four members, who retired on 7 June, are: Mumbai Graduates’ (Vilas Potnis of Shiv Sena (UBT)), Konkan Division Graduates’ (Niranjan Davkhare of BJP), Mumbai Teachers’ - (Kapil Patil of Lok Bharti) and Nashik Division Teachers - (Kishore Darade, an Independent).
Davkhare is the son of former Council Deputy Chairperson late Vasant Davkhare, who was a close aide of NCP founder Sharad Pawar, who now heads NCP (SP).
Davkhare won the Konkan Division Graduates’ seat for fourth term after defeating Congress candidate Ramesh Keer.
From Nashik Division Teachers’, Darade won the seat defeating Vivek Kolhe of BJP, who was contesting as an independent candidate, Sandeep Gulve of Shiv Sena (UBT) and Mahendra Bhavsar of Ajit Pawar-led NCP.
In Mumbai Graduates’ seat, Parab won the seat defeating Kiran Shelar of the BJP. Parab, an advocate, is a close aide of the Thackeray family and played a key role in the formation of the MVA after the 2019 Assembly polls when the undivided Shiv Sena broke ties with BJP.
Parab has won the last biennial election to Council from the electoral college of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and is retiring on 27 July.
In Mumbai Teachers’ seat, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Prof Abhyankar defeated Subhash More of Shikshak Bharti, Shivnath Darade of BJP, Shivaji Nalawade of NCP.