11 candidates, 10 seats: Stage set for keen contest in council polls

The quota required to get each candidate elected is 25.91. Of the total 288 members in state legislative assembly who constitute the vote bank, three cannot cast their votes, which brings the total strength down to 285 votes. While Sena MLA Ramesh Latke passed away last month, two NCP members – cabinet minister Nawab Malik and former home minister Anil Deshmukh, held in judicial custody in two separate money laundering cases – are not allowed by the courts to vote.

By fielding five candidates, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will have to mobilise support from smaller parties/allies associated with the state’s ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to accomplish its required quota.

The BJP candidates in the race are – Praveen Darekar, Ram Shinde, Shirkant Bharatiya, Uma Khapre and Prasad Lad.

The BJP has 106 votes. To get all five candidates elected, it requires 130 votes, which translates to additional 24 votes. In the recently held Rajya Sabha elections, the BJP polled a total of 123 votes. It got additional 17 votes from smaller parties and independents. Out of these 17 votes, seven were close to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) while remaining 10 were allies of the MVA. Even if BJP retains all the 17 votes, it will still have to scout for additional seven votes from MVA.

Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis said, “We are confident of meeting the required quota to get all five candidates elected in council polls.” Keeping the strategy under wraps, he said, “The unrest within the MVA members will work to our advantage.”

Going by the numbers, the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) find themselves in comfortable position. The Sena, with 55 votes, require just 52 votes to get its two candidates — Aamshaya Padavi and Sachin Ahir – elected. The NCP, with 51 votes, will also require 52 votes to get its two candidates — Ramraje Nimbalkar and Eknath Khadse – elected. An additional vote required can be elicited from an independent aligned to the party.

Unlike the Sena and the NCP, their alliance partner, the Congress, will have to fight its own battle. The party, with 44 votes, will have to reach out to smaller parties/allies for additional eight votes to get its two candidates — Bhai Jagtap and Chandrakant Handore – elected.

From what emerges, both the BJP and the Congress will depend on smaller parties/allies, which together constitute 29 votes. If the Sena and the NCP retain their entire vote base, the tussle for the 10th seat will be between the Congress and the BJP.

A BJP insider said, “Our strategy will be to tap unhappy members in ruling parties. It can be anybody – Sena, NCP and Congress, smaller parties/allies.”

A section within the BJP is said to be working to explore the unrest within the NCP to make the going tough for Khadse. A former BJP minister, Khadse had joined the NCP last year after quitting the saffron party, citing his unhappiness with Fadnavis. The NCP’s decision to politically rehabilitate Khadse is being seen as an attempt to score “brownie points” against Fadnavis. The party also realises that Khadse can be most vocal when it comes to fighting Fadnavis.

NCP leader Jayant Patil said, “We have adequate numbers to get former chairman of council Ramraje Nimbalkar and Khadse elected. We will ensure nothing goes wrong.”
For his part, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray of the Shiv Sena has warned party members to be extra cautious in council polls. “We have to get Padavi and Ahir elected at any cost. Let others (Congress, NCP) look after themselves,” a Sena leader who attended a meeting quoted the CM as saying.

Meanwhile, central leader H K Patil held discussions with state Congress leaders and urged them to work as a team to attain success in the polls.