Shiv Sena nominates CM Uddhav Thackeray for Maharashtra Legislative Council elections

The Shiv Sena has nominated Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for the forthcoming elections to nine seats of Maharashtra Legislative Council.

Besides Thackeray, it has also named Dr Neelam Gorhe, the current Deputy Speaker of the Council.

Uddhav, the Shiv Sena president, will thus be the second member of the Thackeray family to contest an election even though he is contesting the Council seat for which the electoral college is the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

In the Vidhan Sabha elections held between September-October 2019, his elder son, Aaditya Thackeray successfully contested the Worli seat and is now the state's Environment, Tourism and Protocol Minister.

Uddhav Thackeray, who is currently neither an MLA nor an MLC, was sworn in as chief minister on November 28, 2019, after having been elected as leader of Maha Vikas Aghadi, which comprises Shiv Sena, Sharad Pawar-led NCP and Congress.

Uddhav is needed to get elected by May 27 to either of the Houses.

The elections were notified on Monday - and the last day of filing nominations is May 11, scrutiny on May 22, while the last date for withdrawal is May 14. The polling, if necessary, would be held on May 21 and the election process would get over by May 26.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi government, in its Cabinet meeting that was presided over by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, recommended Uddhav's name for the post of two vacant seats form Governor's quota.

There was a technical issue for Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to take a call as the Representation of People Act, 1951, states that election or nomination to a vacant post cannot be done if the remaining term of the vacancy is less than one year. The term of the two vacant seats in this case was to end on June 6.

In crisis situation, Uddhav spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the issue. Thereafter, the Shiv Sena cited the emergency situation and requested the Governor to impress upon ECI to conduct polls and the latter agreed to it.

The nine seats of MLC by MLAs became vacant on April 24 in Maharashtra, however, it may be recalled the Election Commission had on April 3 issued an order to defer the elections till further orders in view of COVID-19 pandemic.

These seats were earlier held by Neelam Gorhe, Hemant Takle, Anand Thakur, Smita Wagh, Prithviraj Deshmukh, Kiran Pawaskar, Arunbhau Adasad, Chandrakant Raghuvanshi and Harisingh Rathod.