Mumbai, Nov 15 (PTI) The by-election to theMaharashtra Legislative Council seat, vacated by former chiefminister Narayan Rane after he quit the Congress, will beheld on December 7, according to the Election Commission ofIndia.
As per the election schedule announced by the ECyesterday, the result will be declared the same day after thepolling.
The vacancy in the upper house of the statelegislature is from the MLA's quota.
The filing of nominations will begin on November 20and the last date for it is November 27, according to theschedule put out by the ECI on its website.
The scrutiny will be done on November 28 and the lastdate for withdrawal of nominations is November 30.
Rane had in September announced his resignation fromthe Congress amid indications that he was veering towards aninnings in the ruling BJP.
The 65-year-old Maratha leader, who was the chiefminister in 1999 while in the Shiv Sena, had also resignedas a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council.
After quitting the Congress, Rane formed his newpolitical party - Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksh. Last month, hesaid Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had invited him to jointhe BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
The BJP has 122 MLAs in the 288-member MaharashtraAssembly.
Its ally Shiv Sena has 63 members in the lower house.
The opposition Congress and the NCP have 42 and 41 MLAsrespectively.
Besides, PWP and Bahujan Vikas Aghadi have threemembers each, AIMIM has two members, Rashtriya Samaj Paksh,CPI(M), SP and MNS have one member each and there are eightindependents.
The BJP enjoys the support of four independentlegislators.
The Shiv Sena, another major player in the state,despite being a partner in the ruling alliance, has expressedreservations over Rane's entry into the NDA camp and hispossible induction into the cabinet with a prime portfolio.
According to political observers, the Shiv Sena's rolewill be crucial in the Legislative Council byelection.
If a sizable number of Shiv Sena MLAs remain absent orvote against Rane in the event of his contesting the poll theresults could be shocking for the BJP, said an observer.
Rane had lost the 2014 Assembly polls from Malvan. Hemade an attempt to enter the Assembly in April 2015 in abyelection from Bandra (East) but lost to the Shiv Senacandidate.
He, however, was given ticket by the Congress tocontest the Legislative Council election in June last year.
PTI ND GK NMGK.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.