Fadnavis hails BJP win in Maharashtra MLC elections

Reacting to the BJP’s victory in Nagpur and Akola in the legislative council elections, leader of opposition in Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis said the BJP has busted the ruling coalition MVA’s myth that the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress can win every election in the state by contesting together.

The Election Commission had announced polling to six seats to the state legislative council from five constituencies on December 10.

In the election for two seats in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the Shiv Sena (Sunil Shinde) and the BJP (Rajhans Singh) won unopposed.

In the Kolhapur and Nandurbar-Dhule MLC polls also, the Congress and the BJP secured one seat each unopposed.

Polling to the Nagpur and Akola-Buldhana-Washim seats was held on December 10.

According to the district information office, in Nagpur, of the 554 votes polled, BJP candidate and former state energy minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule secured 362 votes, while Mangesh Deshmukh, the independent candidate who was supported by the MVA, got 186 votes.

On the eve of polling, the Congress nominee, Ravindra Bhoyar had expressed his inability to contest, following which the party backed Deshmukh.

However, Bhoyar later contested the poll and got only one vote.

In a major upset, Sena’s three-time MLC Gopikishan Bajoria was defeated by the BJP’s Vasant Khandelwal in Akola-Washim-Buldhana. Of the total 808 votes, Khandelwal bagged 443 votes while Bajoria secured 334.

”The MVA was claiming that they will win all the elections as three parties have come together. We have busted this myth and I feel that this victory has laid the foundation for our future wins,” Fadnavis said.

Khandelwal attributed his victory to his party’s strategy.

Bawankule said the MVA had 240 votes. However, the MVA-supported candidate only got 186 votes.

Bawankule attacked Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole and accused him of behaving in an autocratic manner. He said the Congress should introspect why their votes got split.

“For two days, they indulged in horse trading, even then they could not keep their party together. This is in real sense the defeat of Congress leaders. The Congress leaders were behaving in an autocratic manner. Nana Patole is not suitable to work as the party chief and he should resign,” he said.

The state BJP also dared the MVA to hold the election for the post of assembly speaker through secret ballot.