With massive strength in Assembly, Maha Yuti has edge over Maha Vikas Aghadi in Council polls

Mumbai: With a huge majority, the ruling BJP-led Maha Yuti (NDA) has an edge over the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (I.N.D.I.A) in the biennial elections to the 11 vacancies of the Maharashtra Legislative Council.

The electoral college for the polls is Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

The elections were notified on Thursday and the last date of filing of nominations was on 2 July, 2024 followed by scrutiny the next day. The last date of withdrawal is 5 July, 2024.

Polling, if necessary, would be undertaken on 12 July, 2024 between 0900 hrs and 1600 hrs, followed by counting the same day from 1700 hrs.

The 11 MLCs who are returning on 27 July, 2024 are three from BJP - Vijay Girkar, Nilay Naik and Ramesh Patil, two from Congress - Dr Wajahat Mirza and Dr Pradnya Satav, one from Shiv Sena - Dr Manisha Kayande, one from Shiv Sena (UBT) - Anil Parab, one from NCP Abdullah Khan Durrani, one from Rashtriya Samaj Paksha - Mahadev Jankar and one from Peasants’ from Workers’ Party of India - Jayant Patil.

The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, which is the electoral college, has 288 seats.

However, the current strength of the House is 274.

As per the formula, every MLC seat will need a quota of 23 votes.

The ruling Maha Yuti has more than 200 seats.

Each MLA has one vote, which means the BJP-led Maha Yuti can safely get nine members elected from their quota.

Out of the 11 seats, the MVA can get two and the ruling alliance nine as per their numerical strength in the lower house of the state legislature.

Congress can get one candidate elected as an MLC, while the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) can get one candidate.

BJP can get five, leaving the rest four for allies Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP.

Currently, the BJP has 103 MLAs, followed by the NCP's 40, Shiv Sena's 38.

The Congress has 37 MLAs, Shiv Sena (UBT) 15 and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) 10.

NCP MLAs Ashok Pawar and Nawab Malik have not given affidavits supporting either of the two factions.

Shiv Sena MLAs Sandipan Bumre and Ravindra Waikar, Nilesh Lanke of the NCP (SP), Congress legislators Pratibha Dhanorkar, Varsha Gaikwad, Balwant Wankhade, Praniti Shinde were elected to the Lok Sabha.

Ashok Chavan and Raju Parve of the Congress have resigned earlier. Sunil Kedar of the Congress has been disqualified following a conviction in a corruption case.

While Govardhan Sharma, Rajendra Patni of the BJP, P N Patil of the Congress, Anil Babar of the Shiv Sena have passed away - and bye-elections have not been held.