<p>Mumbai: The return of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray to the Maharashtra Legislative Council hangs in the balance amid differences within the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and the likelihood of securing only one seat out of nine vacancies in the polls, if everything goes well.</p><p>Thackeray was elected to the Council in 2020 while he was the Chief Minister heading the MVA when the Shiv Sena and NCP were intact. </p>.'We have come together to stay...': Cousins Uddhav, Raj announce political alliance ahead of municipal bodies poll.<p>The electoral college comprises the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.</p><p>The nine members retiring on May 13 are Sanjay Kenekar, Neelam Gorhe, Uddhav, Sandeep Joshi, Dadarao Keche, Amol Mitkari, Ranjitsinh Mohite-Patil, Rajesh Rathod and Shashikant Shinde.</p><p>The Election Commission of India announced the schedule for the biennial elections to the Legislative Council on Thursday. </p><p>The notification will be issued on April 23, with April 30 as the last date for filing nominations. Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on May 2, while May 4 is the deadline for withdrawal of candidature. Polling, if required, will be held on May 12 between 9am to 4pm, followed by counting at 5pm the same day. The election process will be completed before May 13.</p><p>Maharashtra’s complex political arithmetic has made the contest interesting, with apprehensions of cross-voting.</p><p>With a massive strength of 235 MLAs, the BJP-led Maha Yuti is comfortably placed to win eight seats — five for the BJP, two for the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, and one for the NCP faction led by Sunetra Pawar.</p><p>On the other hand, the MVA currently has 46 MLAs — 20 from Shiv Sena (UBT), 16 from the Congress, and 10 from the NCP (SP) led by Sharad Pawar. The alliance can elect one candidate, provided there is no cross-voting or defection.</p><p>To secure a seat, a candidate requires 29 first-preference votes.</p><p>However, if the BJP-led alliance fields nine candidates, it could complicate matters for the opposition.</p><p>The MVA partners, wary of the situation, have yet to meet formally to decide on a common candidate.</p><p>While the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) ensured NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar's victory in the recent biennial Rajya Sabha elections, Thackeray's aides are now seeking reciprocity in the Council polls. </p>.No fresh talks of NCP, NCP (SP) merger: Sharad Pawar.<p>However, the state Congress finds itself in a difficult position, as it is keen to contest the seat despite Shiv Sena (UBT) holding the largest share within the opposition in terms of numbers.</p><p>Differences within the MVA were also visible during the recent budget session of the Maharashtra legislature. Shiv Sena (UBT) supported the Maharashtra Dharma Swatantrya Adhiniyam, 2026—an anti-conversion law—which the Congress strongly opposed, while the NCP (SP) maintained a relatively muted stance.</p><p>The Congress was further displeased during the municipal elections when Shiv Sena (UBT) aligned with Raj Thackeray-led MNS, given the latter’s stance on migrants. Had the MVA contested the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls as a united front, the outcome might have been different.</p>
<p>Mumbai: The return of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray to the Maharashtra Legislative Council hangs in the balance amid differences within the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and the likelihood of securing only one seat out of nine vacancies in the polls, if everything goes well.</p><p>Thackeray was elected to the Council in 2020 while he was the Chief Minister heading the MVA when the Shiv Sena and NCP were intact. </p>.'We have come together to stay...': Cousins Uddhav, Raj announce political alliance ahead of municipal bodies poll.<p>The electoral college comprises the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.</p><p>The nine members retiring on May 13 are Sanjay Kenekar, Neelam Gorhe, Uddhav, Sandeep Joshi, Dadarao Keche, Amol Mitkari, Ranjitsinh Mohite-Patil, Rajesh Rathod and Shashikant Shinde.</p><p>The Election Commission of India announced the schedule for the biennial elections to the Legislative Council on Thursday. </p><p>The notification will be issued on April 23, with April 30 as the last date for filing nominations. Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on May 2, while May 4 is the deadline for withdrawal of candidature. Polling, if required, will be held on May 12 between 9am to 4pm, followed by counting at 5pm the same day. The election process will be completed before May 13.</p><p>Maharashtra’s complex political arithmetic has made the contest interesting, with apprehensions of cross-voting.</p><p>With a massive strength of 235 MLAs, the BJP-led Maha Yuti is comfortably placed to win eight seats — five for the BJP, two for the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, and one for the NCP faction led by Sunetra Pawar.</p><p>On the other hand, the MVA currently has 46 MLAs — 20 from Shiv Sena (UBT), 16 from the Congress, and 10 from the NCP (SP) led by Sharad Pawar. The alliance can elect one candidate, provided there is no cross-voting or defection.</p><p>To secure a seat, a candidate requires 29 first-preference votes.</p><p>However, if the BJP-led alliance fields nine candidates, it could complicate matters for the opposition.</p><p>The MVA partners, wary of the situation, have yet to meet formally to decide on a common candidate.</p><p>While the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) ensured NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar's victory in the recent biennial Rajya Sabha elections, Thackeray's aides are now seeking reciprocity in the Council polls. </p>.No fresh talks of NCP, NCP (SP) merger: Sharad Pawar.<p>However, the state Congress finds itself in a difficult position, as it is keen to contest the seat despite Shiv Sena (UBT) holding the largest share within the opposition in terms of numbers.</p><p>Differences within the MVA were also visible during the recent budget session of the Maharashtra legislature. Shiv Sena (UBT) supported the Maharashtra Dharma Swatantrya Adhiniyam, 2026—an anti-conversion law—which the Congress strongly opposed, while the NCP (SP) maintained a relatively muted stance.</p><p>The Congress was further displeased during the municipal elections when Shiv Sena (UBT) aligned with Raj Thackeray-led MNS, given the latter’s stance on migrants. Had the MVA contested the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls as a united front, the outcome might have been different.</p>