Smarting from its setback in the recently concluded Rajya Sabha elections, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)‘s coalition parties of the Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress have asked all its legislators to gather in Mumbai ahead of the crucial June 20 Maharashtra Legislative Council polls even as senior Congressman and Minister Satej Patil refuted suggestions of ‘poor coordination’ between the three allies.
Speaking in Pune, Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar said that all MLAs of the three parties have been instructed to come to Mumbai from June 18, ahead of the Council election.
Eleven candidates are in the fray for the 10 MLC seats, with the three MVA parties each fielding two candidates while the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is fielding five candidates. The victory quota is around 26 votes as the strength of the 288-member Legislature has now reduced to 285, following the demise of Sena MLA Ramesh Latke and the arrest of two NCP leaders Nawab Malik and Anil Deshmukh.
