Maharashtra: BJP declare 3 candidates for MLC polls
BJP on Sunday announced the names of three candidates Sandeep Joshi, Sanjay Kenekar and Dadarao Keche for a by-election for the five seats.;
Mumbai: BJP on Sunday announced the names of three candidates Sandeep Joshi, Sanjay Kenekar and Dadarao Keche for a by-election for the five seats. The announcements came a day ahead of the last date i.e. March 17 for filing the nomination. Ajit Pawar-led NCP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena will announce their candidates on Monday as there are many aspirants in the both parties of the BJP led Mahayuti. According to the Mahayuti sources, the NCP is in double mind to decide the candidate as one section of the party wants to give a candidature to Zeeshan Siddique, while another section of the party leaders want to field Umesh Patil for the by-election of the Council.
The BJP’s candidates for the MLC by-election have the imprint of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Mr. Joshi, who was mayor of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), is a close confidant of Mr. Fadnavis, while Mr. Kenekar, who serves as the general secretary of the Maharashtra BJP, shares a good rapport with the chief minister. Mr. Keche was denied ticket from the Arvi Assembly election in November 2024. Mr. Fadnavis’s former personal assistant Sumit Wankhede was given the seat. So, Mr Keche is being compensated now.
The party has also maintained its caste equation by fielding OBC, Maratha and Brahamin candidates in the council by-election.
After the result of Maharashtra Assembly election last year, five MLCs resigned from their seats, as they were elected as MLAs. These included BJP’s Pravin Datke, Ramesh Karad and Gopichand Padalkar, NCP’s Rajesh Vitekar and the Shiv Sena’s Amshya Padvi. The ECI (Election Commission of India) on March 3r announced the by-election for the five seats. Members of the Legislative Assembly will vote to elect these five seats of the legislative council.
The sources in the Shiv Sena said that Chandrakant Raghuwanshi from Nandurbar, Ravindra Phatak from Thane, Ravindra Dhangekar from Pune, Sheetal Mhatre and Krishna Hegde from Mumbai are lobbying hard to get the ticket for the by-election. Mr. Raghuwanshi is the frontrunner in the fray.
Sources said that Umesh Patil, Zeeshan Siddique and Sanjay Daund are trying hard to get the council ticket from the NCP.
Maharashtra NCP president and Lok Sabha member Sunil Tatkare said that the NCP candidate will file nomination between 11.30 am and 12.00 on Monday. “I will announce the party’s candidate name on Monday…. I will discuss the name with the party chief (Ajit Pawar) and Praful Patel at night. An appropriate decision will be taken on the candidate,” Mr. Tatkare said.