In the recent Legislative Council elections, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) managed to secure only two of their candidates' victories, while all nine candidates from the Mahayuti were elected. This has triggered a series of accusations and blame games within the MVA. Reports have now surfaced detailing the pre-election events that led to this situation. It has come to light that Uddhav Thackeray had warned other coalition parties that he would consider withdrawing from the MVA if his candidate, Milind Narvekar, lost the election, Mumbai Tak reported citing sources.
Prior to the election, a crucial meeting was held with key figures including Jayant Patil of Sharad Pawar's NCP, MLA Jitendra Awhad, candidate Jayant Patil, and Thackeray's Shiv Sena leaders such as Anil Desai. Ninad Patil, the nephew of Jayant Patil from the Peasants and Workers Party, also attended this meeting. Ninad accused the Thackeray faction of plotting against his uncle, which sparked internal conflicts within the MVA before the voting took place, according to a report from 'Mumbai Tak'.
Reports suggest that Uddhav Thackeray threatened to leave the MVA if Milind Narvekar did not win in the Legislative Council elections. The reports claimed that Sharad Pawar tried multiple times to contact Thackeray before the voting, but Thackeray did not respond.
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Milind Narvekar, the candidate from Thackeray's Shiv Sena, received 22 first-preference votes, including seven from the Congress. Thackeray faced considerable challenges securing these seven votes. The Congress provided Thackeray with a list of their MLAs who would support him, including Mohanrao Hambarde, Sulbha Khodke, Kunal Patil, and Shirish Chaudhary. However, Thackeray feared defections from these MLAs, which could lead to Narvekar's defeat.
In the elections, the BJP and NCP received additional votes, with Ajit Pawar's second candidate winning in the first round despite concerns. Both candidates secured five extra votes, which are suspected to have come from Congress MLAs. Notably, Congress MLA Kailas Gorantyal had indicated the possibility of cross-voting by 3-4 party MLAs.
This report highlights the turmoil within the MVA and the intense political maneuvers leading up to the Legislative Council elections.