'They will be punished': Congress identifies 'traitors' who cross-voted in Maharashtra MLC polls

Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole has claimed that those party leaders who cross-voted for the NDA candidate in the recent elections to 11 legislative council seats have been identified and will be punished. He called them "traitors". The same "traitors" had ensured the defeat of Congress leader Chandrakant Handore in the council elections two years ago, Patole claimed on Saturday. 

"A trap was laid this time and they have been identified. They will be punished so that no one dares to betray the party again," Patole said even as he withheld the names of the leaders. 

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said the Congress has accepted that cross-voting took place and they will take action accordingly. "The central government is going to observe the imposition of Emergency as 'Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas'. Isn't it unconstitutional to get MLCs elected by MLAs who are facing disqualification? Isn't it unconstitutional to purchase MLAs by bribing them? BJP is the real murderer of the Constitution," Raut alleged. 

The ruling 'Mahyuti' in Maharashtra, comprising the Shiv Sena led by CM Eknath Shinde, BJP, and Ajit Pawar's NCP, on Friday won all the nine seats it contested in the biennial elections to 11 seats in the legislative council. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) faced a setback as a candidate backed by Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) lost. 

At least seven Congress MLAs defied the party's directive while voting and voted for the NCP candidate. The Congress, which has 37 MLAs, had fixed a quota of 30 first preference votes for its candidate Pradyna Satav, and seven remaining votes were to go to Milind Narvekar, candidate of the ally Shiv Sena (UBT), party sources told news agency PTI. 

Eventually, Satav got 25 and Narvekar 22 first preference votes, which meant at least seven Congress MLAs cross-voted. Jayant Patil of the Peasants and Workers' Party (PWP), supported by Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP), lost.