Mamata Banerjee meets Sharad Pawar after Uddhav during her Mumbai visit

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee meets NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar. Pic/PTI

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met Nationalist Congress Party (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Friday during her first visit to Mumbai after the declaration of Lok Sabha elections 2024 results more than a month ago.

Mamata Banerjee, the chief of the Trinamool Congress, reportedly met Pawar at his residence, 'Silver Oak' in south Mumbai.

The Trinamool Congress leader, who was on a day-long visit to Mumbai, earlier met Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray at his residence, "Matoshree," in Bandra area.

The Trinamool Congress, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena are constituents of the opposition INDIA bloc.

This was Mamata Banerjee's first visit to Mumbai after the June 4 Lok Sabha results, which saw the INDIA bloc put up a better-than-expected performance.

In Maharashtra, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) bagged 30 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats, stunning the ruling Mahayuti, which comprises the BJP, the Shiv Sena and the NCP.

Constituents of the MVA, including the Congress, are members of the INDIA alliance at the national level.

Mamata Banerjee said the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre was unstable and may not complete its term. "This government may not continue either. This is not a stable government," she said at a press conference with Thackeray.

Both the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress are part of the Opposition's INDIA grouping.

MLC polls conclude, 274 MLAs cast their votes

The polling for the biennial elections to 11 seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Council concluded at the Vidhan Bhavan Complex on Friday afternoon, reported the PTI.

Voting was held between 9 am and 4 pm, officials said. The votes will be counted after 5 pm and the results are expected in the evening, they said.

There are 12 candidates in the fray for the 11 seats in the upper house of the state legislature, where the 274 current members of the legislative assembly form the electoral college.

According to officials, all 274 MLAs cast their votes. Shiv Sena's Sanjay Gaikwad was the first to cast his vote through the secret ballot system, as per the PTI.

The Maharashtra Legislative Council elections are being held to fill the vacancies of members whose terms end on July 27. Each winning candidate would need a quota of 23 first-preference votes, as per the PTI.

In the morning, the Shiv Sena (UBT) said it would request the state electoral officer to extend the voting timing by an hour due to heavy rains in Mumbai.

(With inputs from PTI)