Daijiworld Media Network - Amravati

Amravati, Oct 22: In a significant political development ahead of the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections, political rivals Bacchu Kadu and Ravi Rana reportedly held a closed-door meeting at a college in Amravati on Thursday.

The meeting is believed to have been held to support Mahayuti candidate Kiran Sarnaik in the Amravati teachers’ constituency, according to reports. The development has triggered speculation about a possible shift in political equations ahead of polling.

Kadu and Rana have long been known as political opponents in the region. Their reported meeting has therefore drawn attention, particularly as the contest for the Amravati teachers’ constituency intensifies.

Elections are being held for five Legislative Council seats, covering the Amravati teachers’, Pune teachers’ and graduates’, Nagpur graduates’ and Marathwada graduates’ constituencies. Polling is scheduled for October 23, with counting on October 27.

The Amravati teachers’ constituency has become a key battleground, with the Shiv Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde fielding sitting MLC Kiran Sarnaik as the Mahayuti candidate.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), meanwhile, has two candidates in the fray. Congress has fielded Aditi Pohare, while the Shiv Sena faction led by Uddhav Thackeray has nominated Dattatray Lahane.

The presence of two MVA candidates has added another dimension to the contest, while the reported meeting between Kadu and Rana has raised questions about its possible impact on the electoral arithmetic. However, the details and outcome of the meeting have not been independently confirmed.