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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Four MLAs miss Thackeray’s meeting

Mumbai: As the rebel six MPs were proudly showcased before the media in a grand event by Shiv Sena President and Deputy Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde, ex-CM and Shiv Sena (UBT) supremo Uddhav Thackeray summoned his entire flock of lawmakers for a headcount – and discovered that four were allegedly ‘missing’, on Monday. The development came after a similar meeting last week of its nine Lok Sabha MPs saw only three in attendance and the six prospective turncoats proclaimed loyalty in the...

Four MLAs miss Thackeray’s meeting

Mumbai: As the rebel six MPs were proudly showcased before the media in a grand event by Shiv Sena President and Deputy Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde, ex-CM and Shiv Sena (UBT) supremo Uddhav Thackeray summoned his entire flock of lawmakers for a headcount – and discovered that four were allegedly ‘missing’, on Monday. The development came after a similar meeting last week of its nine Lok Sabha MPs saw only three in attendance and the six prospective turncoats proclaimed loyalty in the names of their parents and children or Shirdi Saibaba and Goddess Tulja Bhavani – all came to nought as the subsequent dramatic events that unfolded confirmed. Against the backdrop of that ugly butcher-cut, Thackeray had convened a meeting of all SS (UBT) MLAs and MLCs this afternoon. Out of 20 MLAs, 16 were present on Monday, besides five MLCs, as the party fortified itself to keep the hunting wolf away from its pen. A senior party leader assured that the four MLAs who stayed away had given valid reasons for their absence to the top SS (UBT) brass, which is strategising on how to prevent another assault on its strength – the second brazen one in four years. This time, the SS (UBT) leaders are even more nervous as Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam claimed today that “another MP” is veering towards them. Earlier, other Shiv Sena leaders made the SS (UBT) even more jumpy with dark predictions that “at least 14-15 MLAs” would soon join their camp. In Monday’s meeting, Thackeray and other leaders urged the remaining MLAs and MLCs to put up a united show of strength, fan out into their respective constituencies, connect with their party cadres and public outreach, remain aggressive and try to put the government on the mat with burning issues like farmers distress, unemployment, inflation, water scarcity, etc. While reiterating that those who wanted to leave would not be stopped, the Thackeray father-son duo alleged that the Mahayuti was diverting public funds to ‘buy MPs’ while discarding actual governance or implementing public oriented schemes. SS(UBT) lawmakers’ roll-call The MLAs present at meeting: Aaditya Thackeray, Ajay Chaudhari, Bhaskar Jadhav, Babaji Kale, Bala Nar, Dilip Sopal, Gajanan Lavte, Harun Khan, Kailas Patil, Manoj Jamsutkar, Nitin Deshmukh, Pravin Swami, Sunil Raut, Siddharth Kharat, Sunil Prabhu and Varun Sardesai. The MLCs who attended: Anil Parab, Sachin Ahir, Milind Narvekar, Ambadas Danve and Jagannath Abhyankar. The legislators conspicuous by their absence: Rahul Patil (tied up in the Legislative Council counting); Sanjay Derkar and Sunil Shinde (both in their native places); and Sanjay Potnis whose reasons for keeping away were not immediately clear.

Mahayuti sweeps MLC polls amid MVA cross-voting

Mumbai: Maharashtra Legislative Council elections have exposed the soft underbelly of both the ruling as well as the opposition combine. While the BJP couldn’t prevent rebellion in Nashik to ensure election of Mahayuti candidate, the MVA challenge was decimated under defection and cross-voting at several places effectively preventing them from adding anything to their strength in the upper house of Maharashtra legislature.


Despite these internal vulnerabilities, the ruling Mahayuti alliance asserted absolute dominance in the Local Authorities constituencies, effectively routing the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Out of the 17 seats that went to the polls, the Mahayuti—comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and the Sunetra Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)—secured a massive victory by winning 16 seats. The final tally stood at 11 seats for the BJP, three for the Shiv Sena, two for the NCP, and one for an independent candidate. With six Mahayuti candidates having already been elected unopposed before the June 18 voting, the battleground was left open for the remaining 11 constituencies, where the BJP demonstrated a flawless strike rate.


Rebel’s Victory

However, the ruling alliance’s strategic flaws were laid bare in the Nashik local authorities constituency, a seat allocated to the Shiv Sena within the Mahayuti quota. The official Mahayuti candidate, Narendra Darade, suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Gokul Gite, an independent candidate and BJP rebel. Gite secured a decisive 357 votes in the first round itself, effortlessly crossing the winning quota of 303 out of 605 valid votes, while Darade managed only 248. This outcome triggered immediate political tremors. Gokul Gite’s brother, Ganesh Gite—a known supporter of BJP Minister Girish Mahajan—launched a scathing attack on Darade, citing his severe lack of public contact over the last eight years. Despite intense pressure from Mahayuti leaders to withdraw, Gokul Gite remained in the fray, allegedly conducting a covert campaign fueled by voter dissatisfaction and tacit support from the MVA and local outfits. Following Darade’s allegations of betrayal, Minister Uday Samant announced that a detailed report analyzing the exact cause of the defeat would be submitted to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.


Nagpur’s Record

Conversely, the MVA’s humiliation was systemic and most pronounced in the Nagpur constituency. BJP’s Rajiv Potdar registered a record-breaking victory, defeating Congress candidate Atul Londhe by a staggering margin of 682 votes. Despite the MVA possessing an estimated numerical strength of 211 votes, Londhe managed a mere 130 votes. This massive cross-voting prompted Londhe to allege that the BJP engaged in horse-trading, claiming votes were bought for Rs 10 lakh each.


The debacle led Congress leader Vikas Thakre to demand strict disciplinary action against the “traitors,” signaling a deepening internal crisis within the grand old party. Similar narratives of cross-voting echoed in Satara, where BJP’s Dhairyashil Kadam defeated NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) candidate Abhaysinh Jagtap. Kadam secured 593 votes against Jagtap’s 292, with political observers estimating that over a hundred MVA votes shifted to the BJP due to the strategic maneuvering of local leaders.


Marathwada Magic

The Dharashiv-Latur-Beed constituency provided further evidence of the MVA’s unraveling, heavily influenced by the ongoing “Operation Tiger”—the systematic defection of Uddhav Thackeray loyalists to the Eknath Shinde camp. BJP’s Basavaraj Patil secured a landslide victory with 845 votes, defeating Congress’s Mahesh Deshmukh, who received just 124 votes. This massive margin was facilitated by an estimated 150 MVA votes shifting to the BJP, a move widely linked to the anticipated defection of Thackeray-faction MP Om Raje Nimbalkar to the Shinde camp. In Nanded, BJP’s Amar Rajurkar completed a hat-trick of victories by securing 339 votes, decisively defeating the MVA-backed candidate, Krishna Patil Ashtikar. Krishna’s father, MP Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, was also reportedly caught in the crosshairs of the defection drive, leading to widespread confusion among MVA voters and sealing his son’s defeat with a meager 84 votes.


Ultimately, while the Legislative Council results are a resounding endorsement of the Mahayuti’s political arithmetic, they serve as a stark warning to both factions. The ruling alliance must address its rogue elements, but the widespread cross-voting and the MVA’s inability to hold onto its core voter base indicate that the opposition is severely struggling to maintain internal cohesion ahead of the impending assembly elections.

Party-wise Performance:
• BJP: 11 seats (2 unopposed)
• Shiv Sena: 3 seats (2 unopposed)
• NCP: 2 seats (both unopposed)
• Independent: 1 seat (BJP rebel)

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