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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

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...

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)

US Vice President JD Vance, his family arrive in Delhi

  • PTI
  • Apr 21, 2025
  • 2 min read


NEW DELHI: US Vice President J D Vance arrived here on Monday on a four-day visit to India against the backdrop of ongoing negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement between the two strategic partners to address a variety of issues, including tariff and market access.


Vance is accompanied by his Indian-origin wife Usha Chilukuri and their three children Ewan, Vivek, Mirabel and a delegation of senior US government officials.


The US Vice President and the Second Lady were received at the Palam air base by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.


The American leader was also accorded a ceremonial welcome on his arrival.

In the evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host a dinner for the Vances after holding wide-ranging talks with the US Vice President.


External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, NSA Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Indian ambassador to US Vinay Mohan Kwatra are expected to be part of the Indian team to be led by PM Modi at the talks.


The focus of the meeting is likely to be on early finalisation of the proposed bilateral trade pact as well as ways to boost overall trajectory of ties between the two countries.


Besides Delhi, Vance and his family will travel to Jaipur and Agra.

Vance's first visit to India comes weeks after US President Donald Trump imposed and then paused a sweeping tariff regime against around 60 countries, including India.


New Delhi and Washington are now holding negotiations to seal a bilateral trade agreement that is expected to address a variety of issues, including tariff and market access.


Vance and his family are scheduled to leave for Jaipur on Monday night.

In Delhi, the US Vice President and his family are staying at the ITC Maurya Sheraton hotel.


On April 22, the Vances will visit a number of historical sites in Jaipur, including the Amer Fort, also known as Amber Fort. The fort is a UNESCO world heritage site.


In the afternoon, the US Vice President is scheduled to address a gathering at the Rajasthan International Centre in Jaipur.


Vance is expected to delved into broader aspects of India-US relations under the Donald Trump administration during his speech that is expected to be attended by diplomats, foreign policy experts, Indian government officials and academia.


The US Vice President and his family will travel to Agra on the morning of April 23, people familiar with the matter said.


In Agra, they will visit the Taj Mahal and Shilpgram which is an open air emporium showcasing various Indian artefacts, they said.


After concluding their visit to Agra, the Vances will return to Jaipur on the second half of April 23.


The US Vice President and his family will depart for the US from Jaipur on April 24, according to the people cited above.

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