MUMBAI: Buoyed by the “hard-earned victory” in the Rajya Sabha polls, the BJP faces a similar task in the polls for the state council due June 20, courtesy of Congress wanting an extra seat.
BJP wants all its five candidates to win in the polls in which smaller parties and Independents can play a role. Eleven 11 candidates are in the fray for 10 seats. The BJP is the largest party with 105 MLAs and has support of 6 Independents. The MVA’s Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress have 58, 54 and 44 MLAs, respectively, in the 288-member assembly. To win the polls, a candidate has to get at least 27 votes. BJP will win four seats. The Sena and NCP can bag two seats each while Congress can add one more seat. However, Congress has fielded two candidates.
The BJP needs to get over 16 votes to win five seats. Congress is short of 10 votes to win its second seat. BJP has asked its MLAs to assemble in Mumbai on June 18. NCP has also begun a similar drill. Congress sources said they are in talks with some “disgruntled BJP MLAs” who could tilt the scales.