Maha CM to face contest in bye-election

BJP General Secretary Vinod Tawde on Thursday said that the saffron alliance would field a candidate against Chavan.

Chavan,earlier a Union minister,was sent to Maharashtra to replace Ashok Chavan,in the wake of Adarsh Society scam.

He is not a member of either house of state Legislature.

“Chavan’s election is a foregone conclusion given the fact that the Congress and its allies enjoy majority in the 289-member Legislative assembly which is the electoral college for the bye-election,” MPCC General Secretary Sanjay Dutt said.

“But an unopposed election of the Chief Minister will send a positive message to the people,” Dutt said.

He denied that the Congress feared cross-voting,as the Council election is through secret ballot. “It is the Opposition which is splintered,” Dutt said.

He said that the Congress was ready for a contest if the Opposition fielded a candidate. The Congress had 82 MLAs and the NCP 62,which alone made up the required numbers,he said.

There are 24 independent MLAs,of which 21 support the ruling alliance.

The BJP has 46 MLAs,Shiv Sena 45,PWP 4,Samajwadi Party 3,Jan Surajya Shakti Party 2,Bahujan Vikas Aghadi 2; Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh,CPI(M),Lok Sangram,Rashtriya Samaj Party,Swabhimani Party have one MLA each. One member is nominated by the Governor.

Raj Thackeray-led MNS has 13 MLAs.