Maharashtra by-polls: BJP reveals candidates for Legislative Council

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 16 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday announced the names of three candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Council by-elections, following approval from the party's Central Election Committee (CEC).

The three candidates announced are: Sandip Diwakarrao Joshi, Sanjay Kishanrao Kenekar and Dadarao Yadavrao Keche.

The by-polls are being held to fill vacant seats in the Legislative Council, and the BJP, aiming to strengthen its presence in the state legislature.

Five seats in the state legislative council fell vacant after the existing MLCs won last year's state assembly election.

The Election Commission of India announced the details of the bypolls for these five seats on March 3.

The sitting MLAs would vote for electing the five new MLCs. The counting of votes would take place on March 27 after the completion of the voting process.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Assembly Election last year witnessed a decisive victory for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, which secured a landslide win with 235 seats. The results marked a significant milestone for the BJP, which emerged as the single-largest party with 132 seats.

The Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party also made notable gains, with 57 and 41 seats, respectively.

The MVA suffered a major setback, with Congress winning just 16 seats. Its alliance partner, Shiv Sena (UBT), won 20 seats, while the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) secured only 10 seats. (ANI)