After its poor performance in the recent Lok Sabha polls – in which it managed to mere 17 out of 48 seats in the State, ruling BJP-led MahaYuti has redeemed its morale ahead of the Assembly polls, by winning nine out of 11 seats — one seat more than than eight seats it could have bagged in the normal course.
Though the MahaYuti’s impressive victory will have no direct bearing on the State Assembly polls to be held in October this year, the poll outcome has pepped up the mood in the ruling BJP- Shinde Sena- Ajit Pawar NCP alliance camp.
The ruling MahaYuti – with a combined tally of 202 seats – had the strength to win eight MLC seats. It needed five more votes to win the ninth seat. However, by securing five additional votes in the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) camp, the MahaYuti managed to win the ninth seat as well.
On the contrary, the MVA had fielded three candidates in the MLC poll but it managed to win two seats. The MVA had a tally of 65 votes ( MLAs in the Assembly) and it needed four additional votes to win all the three seats it had contested. Since at least six to seven og MLAs cross-voted, the MVA not only failed to win the third seat, but also gave one additional seat on a platter to the ruling MahaYuti.
The results of the MLC polls were declared late on Friday night. Owing to the cross-voting, the MVA won all the nine seats it had contested. The winners were: Pankaja Munde, Yogesh Tilekar, Parinay Phuke, Amit Gorkhe and Sadabhau Khot (all from the BJP), Krupal Tumane and Bhavana Gawali ( both from Eknath Shinde Sena), Shivajirao Garje and Rajesh Vitekar (both from the Ajit Pawar-led NCP).
After its superlative performance in the recent Lok Sabha polls, the Opposition MVA comprising the Congress-Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharad Pawar) alliance -- which had won 31 out of 48 LS seats – finds itself in a strong position ahead of the State Assembly polls.However, cross-voting in its camp and consequent failure to win the third seat – has come as a dampener for the Opposition in the run-up to win the Maharashtra Assembly polls.
Following the disheartening MLC poll outcome, the Opposition MVA has gone into a crisis management mode.
The assessment by the MVA constituents has revealed thatsix to seven Congress MLAs cross-voted in favour of the of the BJP-led Maha Yuti (NDA) candidates in the biennial State Council polls held to 11 MLC seats The MLAs of different political parties voted in the polls.
If anything, the MLC poll outcome has established that chief minister and Shiv Sena chief leader Eknath Shinde, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP and deputy chief minister-NCP president Ajit Pawar have hold over the the MLAs of their respective parties.
From the Opposition MVA side, Milind Narvekar , a close aide of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, and Congress candidate Pradnya Satav won the MLC polls.
The Left-wing Peasants and Workers Party of India general secretary Jayant Patil, who was backed by Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), lost the polls.
“I got my twelve votes. The Shiv Sena (UBT) got the (extra) Congress votes. Some of the Congress votes were split. Don’t want to talk anymore,” defeated candidate Jayant Patil said.
Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole indicated that the party has information about who has cross-voted. “We set a trap during the biennial council election and those cross-voted were today trapped. We have briefed the Congress high command about the poll outcome and identified those of our MLAs who cr0ss-voted in the polls,” Patole said.
“The party will take action against those who have committed anti-party work and betrayed the party. They will be shown the doors,” Patole said.