BJP-Sena cold war may block Uddhav’s entry

Mumbai: The upcoming Legislative Council elections for 10 crucial seats are rapidly transforming into a volatile political battleground. What initially appeared to pass off as a routine democratic process like Rajya Sabha elections earlier this year is now increasingly shaping up as a fierce, silent competition for dominance between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Simultaneously, this power struggle is casting a long shadow over the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi. The escalating tension has severely jeopardised Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray’s hopes of securing an unopposed entry into the Upper House.

Senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam on Tuesday dropped a political bombshell that altered the election dynamics. He strongly indicated that his party is preparing to field an additional candidate. This calculated manoeuvre is explicitly designed to block Thackeray from an easy, uncontested victory. Nirupam did not mince words when discussing the opposition leadership. He drew a sharp and deliberate contrast between veteran leader Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray. Nirupam stated that no party should field a candidate against a senior and highly experienced statesman like Pawar. However, he bluntly dismissed Thackeray’s political stature. Nirupam remarked that Thackeray is simply not that great a leader to warrant an uncontested passage.

Political Arithmetic

To back up these aggressive claims, Nirupam outlined the ruling party’s strategic political arithmetic. He asserted that the Shiv Sena holds a comfortable margin of surplus votes even after securing the election of its two primary candidates. Furthermore, he revealed that party strategists are actively working behind the scenes. They are currently in intense negotiations with several smaller political factions and independent legislators. Nirupam expressed absolute confidence that mustering the required numbers for a third candidate would be an easy task. This aggressive posturing is a direct signal of the Shiv Sena’s intent to assert its independent political weight.

Adding fuel to this speculative fire is the potential nomination of former state minister Bachchu Kadu. Political circles are rife with rumours that the Shiv Sena plans to field Kadu as its surprise weapon. However, this potential candidacy is tangled in complex backroom bartering. Sources indicate that the Shiv Sena leadership has laid down a strict prerequisite for his ticket. They are demanding the complete merger of Kadu’s independent political outfit with the Shiv Sena. Kadu is known for his aggressive political style and has refused to back down easily.

Kadu has reportedly countered with a series of steep demands of his own. He is insisting on a guaranteed cabinet minister position within six months of his election to the council. Beyond the ministerial berth, Kadu is also demanding complete control over the party’s organizational affairs in the Vidarbha region. He has stipulated that any merger will only happen after these conditions are strictly met. This high-stakes negotiation highlights the lengths to which the Shiv Sena is willing to go to secure an extra seat.

BJP List

The ruling BJP on Tuesday announced the names of five candidates for the next month’s elections to the Legislative Council.

The party named Sunil Vinayak Karjatkar, Madhavi Naik, Sanjay Natthuji Bhende, Vivek Bipindada Kolhe and Pramod Shantaram Jathar as its nominees for the May 12 biennial polls.

Karjatkar is a veteran party worker, who acted as a strategist for some state elections in the past. He was once close to BJP leader late Pramod Mahajan.

Vivek Kolhe is the son of former party MLA Snehalata Kolhe. She did not contest the 2024 assembly polls as the Kopargaon assembly segment in Ahilyanagar district as it was allotted to ally Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Sanjay Bhende was in-charge of Union minister Nitin Gadkari’s Lok Sabha election in 2024, and is the chairperson of Nagpur Urban Cooperative Bank at present.

Madhavi Naik, general secretary of the state unit of the party, who hails from Thane is also nominated by the party for the Upper House of the state legislature. Pramod Jathar is from Sindhudurg and former MLA of the party.

The announcement comes ahead of the filing of nominations, the last date for which is April 30. Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on May 2, while the last date for withdrawal of candidature is May 4.

Nine council members, including former chief minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, are retiring on May 13.