MNS to contest Maharashtra Council polls independently, says party leaders

MNS chief Raj Thackeray. Pic/Anurag Ahire

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which supported the Mahayuti alliance in the India General Elections 2024, has opted to run independently in the next legislative council elections. A party leader stated that the decision was made since the issues at hand were state-related. The MNS announced on Monday that film director Abhijit Panse would be their candidate for the Konkan Graduates constituency in the upcoming legislative council elections on June 26. This seat is presently held by Niranjan Davkhare of the BJP, reported PTI.

Earlier, MNS president Raj Thackeray declared full support for the ruling Mahayuti alliance, which includes the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, in the India General Elections 2024.

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Per the report, at a press conference, Avinash Jadhav, the MNS's chairman for Palghar and Thane, remarked, "The support MNS gave to the Mahayuti in the Lok Sabha polls was to see Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister again. Now, this is the election for the state council, where the issues are local and related to the state. Hence, the party has decided to go solo."

Panse, the MNS candidate, accused previous MLCs of neglecting the constituency's graduates during the last 12 years. He expressed confidence in the party's prospects, pointing out that approximately 35,000 voters have been registered thus far.

Due to the expiration of the present members' mandates in July, four legislative council seats are being filled through biennial elections: Mumbai Graduates, Konkan Graduates, Mumbai Teachers, and Nashik Teachers, the news agency report stated.

The BJP has yet to announce candidates for these elections. Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray, has nominated MLC Anil Parab and party functionary J M Abhyankar for the Mumbai Graduates and Teachers constituencies.

Maharashtra Legislative Council polls on June 10

The Election Commission of India has ruled that elections for four seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Council will take place on June 10. According to the official statement, the votes will be counted on June 13. According to the source, the current Legislative Council (MLCs) will complete its six-year term on July 7.

The seats up for election include Mumbai's teachers' and graduates' constituencies, which are now represented by Kapil Patil (Lok Bharati) and Vilas Potnis (Shiv Sena (UBT), respectively, according to the news agency.