NCP needs Congress help for Council posts

The NCP will have to arrive at an arrangement with the Congress for MLC election in June this year, if it does not want to lose its constitutional post in the Upper House. The term of NCP members, including the chairman of the Upper House Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar and Opposition leader Dhananjay Munde will end in June and according to the tally of their members in Lower House, only one NCP candidate can win the election.

At least 11 members from the Upper House will retire in June and July this year. Of this, four are from NCP, and two each from the Congress, BJP and Shiv Sena. One independent Vijay Sawant, who won the election last time with the help of Congress will also retire on July 7.

The NCP has a majority in the Upper House with 28 members and the party also enjoys three constitutional posts, including that of the chairman, vice-chairman and leader of Opposition in the House.

Mr Nimbalkar, Mr Munde and Prakash Binsale retire on July 7, while vice-chairman Vasant Davkhare retires on June 8.

Congress’ Dipti Chowdhury and Muzaffar Husain, BJP’s Shobhatai Fadnavis and Vinayak Mete, and Shiv Sena’s Subhash Desai and Diwakar Raote end their term on July 7. “We have decided to contest all elections making alliance with Congress,” said NCP state president Sunil Tatkare.