Maharashtra: Shiv Sena UBT clinches both Mumbai seats, BJP retains Konkan in MLC elections

Ahead of the assembly elections in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (UBT) has got a huge boost in the arm. In the recently conducted Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) polls, the party won both the Mumbai seats-- Mumbai Graduates and Mumbai Teachers constituencies.

SS (UBT)'s Anil Parab won from the Mumbai Graduates constituency by defeating BJP's Kiran Shelar. While Parab received 44,784 votes, Shelar got 18,772 votes. Out of the total votes polled, 64,222 were held valid, and the quota for winning was 32,112 votes. 

Shiv Sena (UBT)'s candidate JM Abhyankar won from the Mumbai Teachers seat. He got 4.083 out of the 11,598 valid votes. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged victorious on the Konkan Graduates seat in the polls. BJP's Niranjan Davkhare defeated Ramesh Keer of the Congress.

Davkhare got 1,00,719 votes whereas Keer got 28,585 votes. Konkan constituency comprises districts like Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg. Kishor Darade of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has won the Nashik Teachers constituency.

Darade defeated his nearest rival independent MLA Vivek Kolhe and fulfilling  the winning quota out of the 63,151 valid votes polled. Voting for the four seats took place on June 26 whereas the results were declared on July 1. 

Moreover, the BJP has fielded 5 candidates for the upcoming biennial elections including former state minister Pankaja Munde as well as former MLAs Yogesh Tilekar, Parinay Phuke, Amit Gorkhe and Sadabhau Khot.

Pankaja Munde lost from Beed to NCP (Sharad Pawar)'s Bajrang Sonawane in the Lok Sabha polls. The Congress has re-nominated Pradnya Rajeev Satav. Another 5 MLC seats will go to polls on July 12 and the voting will take place through secret ballot among MLAs.

The six-year term of 11 MLCs is due to end on July 27 on their retirement. The MLC polls are being held just months before assembly polls in Maharashtra, which are due to take place in October. The Ajit Pawar-led NCP has 41 MLAs, Eknath Shinde-led Sena has 40 and the BJP has 103. The Congress has 37 MLAs, Shiv Sena (UBT) has 13 and NCP (SP) has 15.