The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena on Saturday named MLC Anil Parab and party functionary J M Abhyankar as its candidates for the Mumbai Graduates and Mumbai Teachers constituencies, respectively, for the Legislative Council elections scheduled for June 26.
Parab is a former state transport minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Thackeray. Abhyankar is the head of the Shiv Sena (UBT) teachers’ cell.
Out of 78 seats in the Legislative Council, Shiv Sena (undivided) has 11 members, NCP (undivided) 9, Congress 8, and BJP 22. The JD (U), Peasants and Workers Party, and Rashtriya Samaj Paksha have one member each, while four are Independents. 21 seats are vacant.
The vacant seats include 12 members to be nominated by the Governor and nine selected through local body representatives.
Notably, most of the MLCs from Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party have switched their sides to the camps led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, respectively, after the split in these parties.
The biennial elections to four legislative council seats- Mumbai Graduates constituency, Konkan Graduates Constituency, Mumbai Teachers constituency and Nashik Teachers constituency- became necessary as the terms of sitting members are expiring in July.
The last date for filing the nominations is June 7. Voting will be held on June 26 and results will be declared on July 1.
Parab claimed since the Mumbai Graduates Constituency has been under the control of Shiv Sena (undivided) for the last 30 years, his victory is certain on the strength of the work done by Shiv Sainiks and the trust reposed in the party by graduate voters.
”For Shiv Sainiks, the candidate from the other side is immaterial. They have registered voters in large numbers in this constituency. We hold a tight grip here. So, my victory is certain,” Parab, a two-time MLC from the MLA quota, told reporters.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena is an ally of the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) and Congress in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
Parab claimed the BJP may not allot the Mumbai Graduates constituency to the Sena led by Eknath Shinde.
”The BJP has staked the claim to this constituency. So, I don’t think it will give this seat to the Shinde group. Even if (ex-MLC) Deepak Sawant is nominated (by Shinde-led Shiv Sena), I don’t think the BJP will work for him,” he claimed.
Parab also said even though 40 MLAs of Shiv Sena (undivided) have defected (to the Shinde camp after the 2022 split), Shiv Sainiks at the grassroots are with Uddhav Thackeray.
”Shiv Sena cadres is intact. So, our victory is a foregone conclusion,” he said.
Of the four seats falling vacant, the Mumbai Teachers constituency is currently held by Kapil Patil of JD (U), an ally of MVA.
The other three retiring members are Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Vilas Potnis (Mumbai Graduates), BJP’s Niranjan Davkhare (Konkan Graduates), and Independent MLC Kishore Darade who is supporting the ruling Shiv Sena whose term ends on July 7.
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