The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is likely to secure four of the 15 seats in the biennial elections to the Maharashtra Legislative Council, dealing a major setback to the opposition even before voting and counting.
In the Solapur MLC seat, the BJP alliance nominated Rajendra Raut, while the opposition Congress fielded Aditya Fhatepurkar. However, during scrutiny, the Congress candidate's nomination was cancelled due to a technical issue. The cancellation has paved the way for a comfortable victory for BJP candidate Raut.
In the Yavatmal MLC seat, Congress candidate Sahebrao Kamble surprisingly withdrew his candidature. Explaining his decision, Kamble said there were not enough votes in his favour and that he chose to withdraw rather than contest the election. This has cleared the path for an easy win for the BJP-led Mahayuti candidate.
In Nashik, the MLC seat was allotted to Shiv Sena (UBT) under the Maha Vikas Aghadi seat-sharing arrangement. However, the party did not field any candidate against ruling alliance nominee Narendra Darade, leaving the Mahayuti candidate without a challenge.
In Amravati, the BJP fielded Pravin Pote, while party leader Viblab Bajoria rebelled against the official nominee, jeopardising Pote's prospects. However, opposition candidate Harshjeet Deshmukh raised objections to the rebel candidate's nomination, and during scrutiny, Bajoria's nomination papers were rejected. This effectively secured the victory of BJP's official candidate, Pravin Pote.
Meanwhile, both Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi have deployed senior leaders to pacify rebel candidates. Both alliances are facing rebellion in MLC election seats such as Jalgaon, Parbhani and Ratnagiri.