Maharashtra: EC announces biennial polls for 9 Legislative Council seats on 12 May; Mahayuti set to dominate results

The Election Commission of India (EC) on Thursday announced that biennial elections for nine Maharashtra Legislative Council seats, including the one currently held by former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, are scheduled for 12 May. A separate bypoll for one additional seat will also take place on the same day.

According to the official schedule, polling for all 10 seats will be conducted from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM on 12 May. Vote counting will follow at 5:00 PM that evening, with the entire electoral process expected to conclude by 13 May. These elections are required as the terms of nine sitting members (MLCs) are set to expire on 13 May.

The list of retiring members includes Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, alongside Council Chairperson Neelam Diwakar Gorhe (Shiv Sena). The BJP representatives on the list are Sanjay Kishanrao Kenekar, Sandeep Diwakar Joshi, Dadarao Yadavrao Keche, and Ranjitsinh Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil. Other outgoing members include Amol Ramkrushna Mitkari (NCP), Rajesh Dhondiram Rathod (Congress), and Shashikant Jaywantrao Shinde (NCP-SP).

While nine seats are part of the standard biennial cycle, the tenth seat is a by-election triggered by the resignation of Pradnya Satav. Satav, who recently left the Congress to join the BJP, held a term that was originally slated to run until July 2030. The ECI clarified that separate voting procedures will be utilised for the biennial and by-election categories, meaning MLAs must cast their ballots twice.

Winning a seat in the biennial election requires a quota of 29 votes, whereas the by-election demands a significantly higher threshold of 144 votes. This requirement may increase to 145 if the winners of the upcoming bypolls in Baramati and Rahuri, scheduled for 23 April, are cleared to participate. Returning officer Jitendra Bhole will manage the nine-seat biennial election, while Vilas Athawale has been tasked with overseeing the by-election.

Given the current legislative math, the ruling Mahayuti alliance is positioned to dominate the results. Estimates suggest the BJP-led coalition could secure up to nine of the 10 available seats, leaving the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) with just one. The high-quota by-election seat is also anticipated to stay with the BJP, with Satav likely to be re-fielded as their candidate.

In response to the announcement, Maharashtra Congress President Harshvardhan Sapkal noted that while the party had previously supported Thackeray, any future arrangements within the MVA require fresh discussion. He indicated that Congress would seek to contest the seat if Thackeray does not seek renomination, citing recent compromises made for other MVA leaders.

Sapkal further argued that since the vacant bypoll seat originally belonged to the Congress, it should be returned to the party per their standing political agreement.