Outrage Erupts as ‘Traitors’ Face Harsh Punishment for Cross-voting in Council Polls, Vows Nana Patole
Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole has announced that the party has identified “traitors” who cross-voted during the recent legislative council elections for 11 seats and promised they will face repercussions. Patole revealed that these individuals had also played a role in the defeat of Congress leader Chandrakant Handore in the council elections two years prior. While refraining from naming the defectors, Patole emphasized the importance of disciplining them to prevent future betrayals.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut confirmed the Congress’s acknowledgment of cross-voting and its intent to take corrective actions. Raut criticized the Central government, calling the act of getting MLCs elected by potentially disqualified MLAs and allegedly purchasing votes unconstitutional, and labeled the BJP as the “real murderer of the Constitution.”
The political landscape in Maharashtra has been tumultuous following splits in the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The factions led by Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar have sought disqualification of MLAs aligned with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar. In the recent elections, the ruling coalition, “Mahyuti” (consisting of Shinde-led Shiv Sena, BJP, and Ajit Pawar-headed NCP), succeeded in securing all nine contested seats.
The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a blow as the NCP (SP) backed candidate lost. Notably, at least seven Congress MLAs defied party directives during the vote. Congress, with 37 MLAs, allocated 30 first preference votes to its candidate Pradnya Satav, and seven to ally Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Milind Narvekar. Final tallies showed Satav with 25 and Narvekar with 22 first preference votes, revealing the cross-voting.
The 288-member Maharashtra legislative Assembly, with a current strength of 274, required 23 votes per winning candidate. The BJP remains the largest party with 103 members, followed by Shiv Sena-38, NCP-42, Congress-37, Shiv Sena (UBT)-15, and NCP (SP)-10.
Original Story https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/maharashtra/cross-voting-in-council-polls-traitors-identified-will-be-punished-nana-patole/article68402850.ece
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