Mumbai: The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena on Saturday named MLC Anil Parab and party functionary JM Abhyankar as its candidates for the Mumbai Graduates and Mumbai Teachers constituencies, respectively, for the Legislative Council elections scheduled for June 26.
Parab is a former transport minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Thackeray. Abhyankar is the head of the Shiv Sena (UBT) teachers’ cell. Out of 78 seats in the Legislative Council, Shiv Sena (undivided) has 11 members, NCP (undivided) nine, Congress eight, and BJP 22. The JD (U), Peasants and Workers Party, and Rashtriya Samaj Paksha have one member each, while four are Independents.
Twenty-one seats are vacant. The vacant seats include 12 members to be nominated by the governor and nine selected through local body representatives.
MLCs Jumped Ship After Split
Notably, most of the MLCs from Shiv Sena and NCP have switched their sides to the camps led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, respectively, after the split in these parties.
The biennial elections to four legislative council seats Mumbai Graduates constituency, Konkan Graduates Constituency, Mumbai Teachers constituency and Nashik Teachers constituency became necessary as the terms of sitting members are expiring in July. Voting will be held on June 26 and results will be declared on July 1.
