Mumbai, June 4

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) faced a major setback as its candidates withdrew their candidatures on Thursday, ensuring that ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance will win the Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad) election virtually unopposed.

Thursday was the last day to withdraw applications for the Legislative Council election and candidates withdrew their applications by 3 pm.

Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena had announced Bal Mane as its candidate from the Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg Legislative Council constituency, but he withdrew from the contest on Thursday, after which the Sena expelled him from the party for anti-party activities.

Bal Mane was originally a BJP leader. However, during the 2024 assembly elections, he left the BJP and publicly joined the Thackeray group. He contested the assembly elections from Ratnagiri against Cabinet Minister Uday Samant from the Maha Vikas Aghadi, but he had to face defeat in that election. After that, he was once again brought into the election fray through the Legislative Council. However, his withdrawal before the voting has completely changed the political equations in Konkan

Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena's Devyani Dongaonkar was nominated from the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar-Jalna Legislative Council constituency, but she suddenly withdrew her candidature, after which the party expelled Devyani Dongaonkar and her husband Krishna Dongaonkar.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena candidate Anil Kadam who was supposed to be the candidate from the Nashik Legislative Council constituency withdrew from the contest and did not file his application. Congress candidate Sahebrao Kamble, who was nominated by the Congress to contest from the Yavatmal Legialative Council, withdrew from the election.

Reacting to these developments Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP and chief Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut alleged here on Thursday that, “The ruling party (BJP) has spent a whopping Rs 150 crore to get our candidates to withdraw their applications. One of our candidates was given Rs 25 crore to withdraw”.
“From the information I have so far, the ruling party is adamant to ensure that elections are held unopposed and many unscrupulous methods have been adopted to achieve this. A large number of attempts were made to buy off opposition candidates and it succeeded in some places,” Sanjay Raut said.

“Yesterday (Wednesday), such transactions took place at Hotel Sofitel in Mumbai, located in the Bandra Kurla Complex. After that, our candidate in Konkan (Bal Mane) withdrew. Our candidate withdrew in Sambhajinagar. The person who fixed the deal informed us. The process of purchasing candidates is going on in Maharashtra. I think this is a way of destroying the state and the country. This is extremely dangerous for democracy,” Sanjay Raut said.
“The prices of horses were fixed only to withdraw their candidatures. I am not shocked at all. I expected this. That is why I kept saying from the beginning that this election is not ours. This election is not for party workers. This election is for those who can spend cash, do horse trading, as well as buy candidates and votes. This is not democracy. This was my honest opinion and I tried to present my opinion many times in my party. I was afraid that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) would get discredited due to this, especially my party,” Sanjay Raut said.
Reacting to the withdrawal of MVA candidates from the poll fray, Maharashtra State Congress Committee President Harshwardhan Sapkal said, “Despite the BJP's power everywhere, it is still trampling upon democratic values in its desire for more power. Offers of crores of rupees have been made to opposition candidates in order to ensure that Legislative Council elections are won unopposed. The BJP has used all means to get candidates to withdraw nominations, putting aside all morality. The BJP does not want democracy. It wants a 'nomination system' instead of elections”.

“Voters of Legislative Council elections are the elected representatives in the local self-government bodies and it is a limited electorate. But in this election too, the ruling alliance has openly played the game of throwing money and enjoying the spectacle. There has been a huge distribution of money by the ruling party. The BJP and the Election Commission are in an unholy alliance. This picture is not good for democracy,” Sapkal said.

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By Rahi Bhide

The Maharashtra government is now facing the consequences of how burdensome the promise of reservation can be. The storm led by Manoj Jarange has hit Mumbai, triggering political chaos. Leaders like Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde, and Ajit Pawar are in power, and earlier promises to grant reservation to the Maratha community are now under pressure. If the government provides reservation following the community’s aggressive stance, it risks alienating OBC votes. Jarange insists that the Maratha and OBC categories are one and the same, prompting the government to explore ways to resolve this impasse.

Manoj Jarange Patil, the face of the Maratha reservation movement, began an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan, Mumbai, on Friday. He warned that he would not back down until the government meets the community’s demands. His ultimatum — “Either give reservation or shoot me or let me die on the hunger strike” — is becoming a major challenge for the Mahayuti government led by Fadnavis. Jarange demands that all Marathas be issued Kunbi certificates under the OBC category.

After the Maratha community took to the streets under Jarange’s leadership, the OBC community also began demonstrations, fearing the division of their quota. There’s a perception that OBCs are being supported by Fadnavis, fueling tensions. Jarange and other agitators are now targeting him, while Fadnavis insists that his cabinet’s subcommittee is working on a constitutional solution.

Jarange has led this movement for years and calls this his “last battle,” vowing not to step back until Marathas are included under the OBC quota. Aggressive remarks by leaders like Adv. Gunaratna Sadavarte, Prof. Lakshman Hake, and Gopichand Padalkar have further inflamed sentiments, complicating the situation. The government’s image is at stake as such rhetoric escalates conflicts.

Jarange’s demand for all Marathas to be issued OBC certificates cannot be ignored — nearly 5.4 million people have already received Kunbi certificates due to his movement. The committee led by Justice Sandeep Shinde reviewed historical records, including the Hyderabad Gazette, and verified community ties like intermarriage to support these claims.

Currently, OBCs constitute 52% of the population with a 27% quota. If 30–35% of Marathas are added, it could leave 85% of the population fighting for the same quota, intensifying opposition. This has led to a growing divide between the Maratha and OBC communities.

Interestingly, the Muslim community has also demanded reservation for Marathas, recalling recommendations like the Rane Committee’s proposal for a 5% quota, which was never implemented. Similarly, Fadnavis had promised inclusion of the Dhangar community among tribals but failed to deliver even after two terms.

With various communities unsettled, the government faces a daunting challenge in navigating social and political complexities. The Maratha community, making up nearly 33% of Maharashtra’s population and facing socio-economic disadvantages, seeks fair representation in jobs and education.

The movement under Jarange has presented multiple hurdles for the government. Besides anger stemming from past incidents like the Kopardi rape-murder case, opposition from the OBC community and support from rival parties like Congress, NCP (Sharad Pawar), and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) is putting additional pressure on the ruling alliance.

The Maharashtra government’s handling of the Maratha reservation demand could shape its political future, as resolving this sensitive issue requires careful negotiation and consensus-building.

Mumbai : Mahavikas Aghadi MLAs today met Governor CP Radhakrishnan at Raj Bhavan and submitted a statement against the Speaker and President who are working illegally by supporting the ruling party. Mahavikas Aghadi leaders complained about the work of Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar and Legislative Council Chairman Prof. Ram Shinde.

The letter to the Governor states that the opposition party is an important element in the parliamentary system. Its role is not to oppose the government but to restrain the government's decisions and policies. It is to criticize where necessary and suggest alternative policies. However, in the Maharashtra Legislative Council and the Assembly House, the Speaker and the President are adopting a biased and one-sided role in the work of the House.

In the proceedings of both the Houses, the work of the House is being conducted illegally without following parliamentary traditions. The opposition party and opposition party leaders are receiving biased treatment in the House from the Speaker and the President. Opposition members are not allowed to speak in the House. This matter is being brought to our attention to protect their rights.

Opposition members are being restricted from expressing their views and the opposition is being obstructed during important discussions. While opposition members have the right to propose reduction suggestions in the Legislative Assembly, the government is not responding to their suggestions. While it is mandatory for the Ministers and Ministers of State of the concerned department to be present in the House during the discussion of the supplementary demand, they are ignoring it. Also, the Secretaries of the concerned departments are not present in the invisible gallery of the House.

While the Ministers of State of the concerned department are present, ministers not related to the department are being given the right to reply to the discussion. In this way, the Speaker of the Legislative Council has shown a lack of impartiality while running the House and has lost the trust of the House. Similarly, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly has shown a lack of impartiality while running the House. However, the opposition parties have demanded in this letter that we should look into this matter ourselves and take the right decision to ensure justice to the opposition.

On this occasion, MLA Aditya Thackeray, NCP Sharad Pawar party state president Jayant Patil, Vijay Wadettiwar, Nana Patole, Anil Parab, Bhaskar Jadhav, Bhai Jagtap, Shashikant Shinde, Jitendra Awhad, Sunil Raut, Sachin Ahir, Anand Bala Nar, Praveen Swami, Abhijit Vanjari, Ajay Chaudhary, Sunil Shinde, Arun Sheth, J.M. Abhyankar, Manoj Jamsutkar, Siddharth Kharat, Kailas Patil and Varun Sardesai were present.

Although a week has passed since the results of the Maharashtra assembly elections, the government has not been formed yet. Even though the Mahayuti has got a clear majority in the state, no decision has been made on who will be the Chief Minister. It can be seen that the tension of forming the government in Maharashtra is not ending. In addition, the decision to form the government in the state will be taken on Monday, December 2. There will be no meetings of the Mahayuti in Maharashtra for the next two days. Therefore, the people of the state will still have to wait and watch for the formation of the government. Now Shiv Sena leaders are making a unique demand to the BJP.

BJP opposes giving the post of Home Minister
Currently, politics is going on in Maharashtra over who will have the post of Home Minister. In addition, a meeting was held in Delhi on Thursday (November 28) night. The meeting was attended by prominent leaders of Maharashtra, including the central leadership of the BJP. Devendra Fadnavis' name was confirmed as the Chief Minister. Eknath Shinde has demanded as many as 12 ministerial posts, including the Home Minister's post. But the central leadership of the Mahayuti refused to give Eknath Shinde the Home Minister's post. In return, the BJP directly offered Eknath Shinde the post of Union Minister along with the post of Deputy Chief Minister. On this offer, Shiv Sena leaders requested Eknath Shinde to accept the post of Deputy Chief Minister. But now there is a big twist in this.

What did Bharat Gogavale say?
Politics is currently going on over whether Eknath Shinde will get the Home Minister's post or not. On the other hand, now a leader from the Shiv Sena Shinde group has made a big statement about this. Last time, when Devendra Fadnavis was the Deputy Chief Minister, he had the Home Minister's post. Similarly, now we feel that if Eknath Shinde is going to get the Deputy Chief Minister's post, he should also have the Home Minister's post. So what is wrong with that? This question has been asked by Bharat Gogavale, the leader of the Shinde group.

Will Eknath Shinde accept the post of Deputy Chief Minister?
Eknath Shinde will take the decision whether to accept the post of Deputy Chief Minister or not. Whatever decision he takes, we are all bound by that decision. So why does that decision matter, Bharat Gogavale also said. On the other hand, while there is talk that Eknath Shinde is upset, now Uday Samant has given a reaction to this. Eknath Shinde is not upset. He has gone to his village to rest as his health is not good. We have requested him to become the Deputy Chief Minister. However, the final decision in this regard will be taken by Eknath Shinde, said Uday Samant.

Swearing-in ceremony of the new government on December 5
Meanwhile, sources have informed that the swearing-in ceremony of the new government will be held on December 5. Also, Shinde group leader Deepak Kesarkar has said that it is not a good time right now, a good time will be from the 2nd. Due to this, it is being said that the swearing-in ceremony of the new Chief Minister may take place after December 2.

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MUMBAI - NCP leader, current leader of the opposition, leader Ajit Pawar, who has been consistently on the post of deputy chief minister, is likely to fulfill his ambition of becoming the chief minister soon. Ajit Pawar going with BJP is currently being discussed in the political circle. Sanjay Raut has also said that efforts are being made to break the NCP like the Shinde group with the help of ED and central investigation agencies. Sharad Pawar also mentioned this possibility in his meeting with Uddhav Thackeray. In such a situation, even Sharad Pawar gave silent approval to all this, saying that if anyone goes with BJP, it will be a personal decision of that leader. If Ajit Pawar goes with BJP, he can get the post of Chief Minister. But for that they need to have 40 MLAs. Given the strength of the NCP, there is a possibility that many of its MLAs will go with Ajit Dada. But for all this they need the permission and blessings of elder Pawar. Sharad Pawar, however, has taken a stand that NCP will not go with BJP.

How will Ajit Pawar become Chief Minister? If the outcome of the power struggle in the Supreme Court goes against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's group, 16 MLAs are likely to be disqualified. MLAs other than these 16 may also be disqualified under the Prohibition of Defection Act. In such a situation, it is said that Ajit Pawar will take 40 MLAs from NCP and form a separate group and claim to form the government with BJP. If action is not taken against the remaining MLAs of the Shinde faction, there is a possibility that they too will be taken along with Ajit Pawar. In such a situation, there is a discussion that the government can remain in the state for a year with Ajit Pawar as the Chief Minister, Shinde group as the Deputy Chief Minister and BJP's support in the government or outside.

Sharad Pawar reluctant? Sharad Pawar, who experimented with Mavia and opposes Modi's empire at the national level, is said to be reluctant to go with the Hindutva party. There is also talk that other leaders of NCP are thinking differently. It is said that Pawar, who built his political career on the Congress ideology, feels it inappropriate to join the BJP at this stage of his age. Pawar has recently faced criticism from across the country due to his stand with the Congress and the opposition. That is why Pawar is reluctant to go with BJP as a nationalist party. He has already made it clear that if this decision is taken, it will be personal to the leaders, NCP will not go anywhere.

NCP MLAs in ponds and farms? Ajit Pawar had earlier taken oath with Devendra Fadnavis in 2019. But both of them had to resign in just 78 hours. NCP MLAs feel that the same situation should not occur again. Even though Fadnavis has revealed that the swearing-in ceremony took place only with the consent of Sharad Pawar, Pawar has refrained from commenting on it directly. MLAs are of the opinion that if such a situation arises again this year, Sharad Pawar's blessings are needed. He also fears that if the message goes out that he goes against Sharad Pawar, his political career may be ruined. That is why it is said that everyone is paying attention to Sharad Pawar's green light.

Discussion of Ajit Pawar and Amit Shah? Ajit Pawar was unreachable, it is said that on that day Ajit Pawar met Amit Shaha in Delhi. It is also discussed that Praful Patel and MP Sunil Tatkare were with him. It is said that in this meeting, there was a discussion about the cabinet and account sharing. Looking at the current situation in the state, BJP also needs Ajit Pawar's support.

What is the need of BJP? The popularity of Uddhav Thackeray and Aditya Thackeray has increased after the rebellion in the state. An internal survey conducted by the BJP has predicted the possibility of Maviya getting more seats. That is why it is being said that no elections have been held in the state at present. If the Maviyas fight together in the Lok Sabha, they are likely to get 33 seats. Since BJP wants to come back to power at the center, they will not take this risk. In such a situation, it is said that BJP is trying to achieve good success in 2019 Lok Sabha by taking a Maratha leader like Ajit Pawar.

Praful Patel mastermind behind the scenes? It is also being discussed that NCP leader Praful Patel is making all this behind the scenes. His absence was noticeable during Pawar-Rahul Gandhi's meeting. It is said that Sunil Tatkare is also helping in this. In such a situation, the state is now paying attention to the roles of Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar.

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