The results of the Maharashtra Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council) election for the Mumbai Graduates, Konkan Graduates, Mumbai Teachers, and Nashik Teachers constituencies, which took place on June 26, will be announced on Monday. Counting of votes will begin at 8 AM at the Konkan Bhavan in Navi Mumbai.
In the Mumbai Graduates constituency, the main contest is between Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Anil Parab and BJP's Kiran Shelar. In the Konkan Graduates constituency, BJP's Niranjan Davkhare is competing against Congress' Ramesh Kher. For the Mumbai Teachers constituency, the MVA's J. M. Abhyankar is in the fray. The fate of other candidates such as Sandeep Gulve from the MVA, Kishor Darade from the Mahayuti Shinde faction, Mahendra Bhavsar from NCP Ajit Pawar's faction, and independent candidate Vivek Kolhe will also be decided.
The Thackeray group has expressed concern over the vote counting process following the Lok Sabha results. To ensure no discrepancies occur during the counting for the Teachers and Graduates elections, prominent leaders from the Thackeray group will be present at the counting center.
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Previously, the Mumbai Graduates constituency was represented by Shiv Sena Thackeray faction's Vilas Potnis. Now, Anil Parab has been nominated from the same faction, while Kiran Shelar is representing the Mahayuti. In the Mumbai Teachers constituency, Subhash More from Teachers' Bharati will be contesting, replacing former MLC Kapil Patil. The Thackeray faction has fielded J. M. Abhyankar for this constituency.
A significant issue in the Vidhan Parishad election is the secret ballot system. Unlike the Rajya Sabha, where voting is open and members must show their votes, Vidhan Parishad members vote secretly. This increases the possibility of cross-voting. Voters can rank candidates by preference, and the term for Vidhan Parishad members is six years, with one-third of the members retiring every two years and being replaced by new elections.
The election process for the Vidhan Parishad differs from direct elections like the Vidhan Sabha. It uses a preferential voting system, similar to presidential or Senate elections. The Election Commission sets a quota based on the number of voters and candidates. A candidate must secure first-preference votes equal to the quota to win. If no candidate meets the quota with first-preference votes, the second-preference votes are counted to determine the winner.