Uddhav’s MVA Almost Toppled; Deflector Shinde Sacked; BJP Set Aside
The Talking Point: Maharashtra Legislative Council Elections. Maharashtra Vidhan Parishad or Maharashtra Legislative Council is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the state.
What happened on Monday: The BJP won all five seats it contested in the MLC election, while Congress’s Chandrakant Handore lost. That was a crucial loss and cross-voting is suspected.
A bit of the background: Voting for elections to 10 seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Council began in the state Legislature complex on Monday morning. The polling process, which commenced at 9 am ended around 4 pm. A total of 11 candidates were in the fray for the 10 seats, with the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies – Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress – fielding two candidates each. The Opposition BJP in the state had nominated five candidates.
What happened to the NCP and Sena candidates? They won two each and Congress managed one seat. BJP’s winning names are Pravin Darekar, Ram Shinde, Shrikant Bharatiya, Uma Khapre and Prasad Lad. The one loss means that MVA is not in the clear lead.
That means: The ruling alliance did not secure a majority. That means “some people” cross-voted in favor of the BJP. Now here is where starts the drama.
Who deflected? That is hardly a guess. Ever since the high drama at Mantralaya since Monday evening, there was a mystery disappearance of 26 MLAS. They are reportedly holed up at a hotel in Surat. And leading the rebellious band is Eknath Shinde. If they were all to swap and join BJP, the MVA government in Maharashtra will fall.
What does this mean for the MVA? This means time for power change… unless CM and Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray gets his own clutch. Which is what he did around 2:30 pm Tuesday. He sacked the Eknath Shinde and according to news still coming in, the MVA is in the process of a revamp with seat sharing to be decided among players Sena-Congress and the Pawar-led NCP
So, what next? As of now, seems a tight race. The BJP’s game plan to topple over the MVA might have to wat longer than it seemed this Tuesday morning. All in all, the checkmate move might leave the BJP with the same numbers but the MVA in a realigned stronger position.
Fearing a possible fall of government: The Congress, earlier today rushed senior leader Kamal Nath to oversee “developments” in Maharashtra.
As of now: Wait and watch the next 24 hours. Will Devendra Fadnavis manage to wrest control of the Maharashtra CM’s seat or will Uddhav Thackeray prove to be the master of his own destiny.
Also Read: Shiv Sena Delegation Leaves For Surat To Bring Eknath Shinde Home
