Maharashtra CM to become MLC unopposed as Cong withdraws 1 nominee

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is set to enter the legislative council unopposed as the Congress on Sunday, 10 May, announced that it would withdraw nomination of Raj Kishor Modi, one of its two candidates for the 21 May elections to nine seats, PTI reported.

State Congress president Balasaheb Thorat said, "We have decided to field only one out of two nominees for the MLC elections, which means the MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress) will have five nominees for as many seats (out of the total nine),” PTI report added.

Senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut had said that Uddhav Thackeray was not willing to fight the legislative council polls unless elected unopposed, Hindustan Times reported.

Raut further said said that the Shiv Sena chief had sent a message to Balasaheb Thorat to withdraw party’s second candidate.

The BJP has fielded four candidates.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on 1 May had granted permission for holding elections to the Legislative Council (MLCs) in Maharashtra on 21 May, which will pave way for CM Uddhav Thackeray to become a member of the Legislative Council.

The necessary guidelines will need to be ensured for safety against COVID-19 during the elections, the EC had said.

The EC announcement came just days after Thackeray reportedly spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on phone and told him that attempts were being made to create political instability in the state.

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari had earlier requested the Election Commission to declare elections to the nine vacant seats of the Maharashtra Legislative Council “at the earliest.”

The governor had made the request to the Election Commission to fill the nine seats in the legislative council, that have been lying vacant from 24 April, with a view to end the current uncertainty in the State.