Mumbai: In a significant political maneuver, the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra swiftly moved to have seven new members of the Legislative Council (MLCs) sworn in just hours before the Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct came into force on October 15, 2024. The appointees represent the alliance’s key factions: the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction.
The seven nominees were sworn in during a ceremony at Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai, strategically timed ahead of the anticipated announcement of the Assembly election schedule by the Election Commission of India. Governor Ramesh Bais cleared the nominations submitted by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s government late on Monday, marking the first appointments to these Governor’s quota seats since 2020. The upper house can have up to 12 such nominees, with the remaining seats unfilled due to prior political infighting.
Among the new MLCs are notable figures like Chitra Wagh, BJP’s women’s wing chief, and Pankaj Bhujbal, son of NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal. The appointments drew swift backlash from opposition parties, with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction filing a legal challenge in the Bombay High Court, accusing the government of bypassing proper procedures in filling the seats.
These appointments come amid increasing political tensions as Maharashtra gears up for Assembly elections, likely to be one of the most closely watched contests in the country. With the election code now in place, parties are gearing up for a high-stakes battle, with Chief Minister Shinde aiming to solidify his position, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction trying to expand its influence.
