Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Jun 4: The ruling Mahayuti alliance has secured an early advantage in the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) elections after six of its candidates were elected unopposed, while the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a setback following the withdrawal of six candidates from the contest.

Polling for the remaining 11 seats will be held on Jun 18, with the ruling alliance appearing firmly placed due to its numerical strength in the state.

Of the 17 seats falling vacant, seven were previously held by the Bharatiya Janata Party, five by the Shiv Sena, three by the Nationalist Congress Party and two by the Indian National Congress.

The Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party, has already won six seats unopposed.

Those elected without a contest are Ravindra Phatak from Thane, Aniket Tatkare from Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Vikram Kakade from Pune, Arun Lakhani from Chandrapur-Wardha-Gadchiroli, Dushyant Chaturvedi from Yavatmal and Prajakt Tanpure from Ahilyanagar.

Despite the favourable position, Mahayuti faces internal challenges in Nashik and Jalgaon, where local-level dissent has emerged within alliance partners.

The Opposition MVA, consisting of the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), has accused the ruling alliance of using financial influence to dominate the election process.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut described the election as a "money market", alleging that money power had replaced genuine democratic competition.

State Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal echoed similar concerns, accusing the Mahayuti of misusing its resources and remarking that the election had become a case of "paisa phenk, tamasha dekh".

The remaining constituencies headed for polling include Solapur, Jalgaon, Bhandara-Gondia, Amravati, Dharashiv-Latur-Beed, Nagpur, Nashik, Parbhani-Hingoli, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar-Jalna, Sangli-Satara and Nanded.

Political observers believe the outcome will further consolidate the Mahayuti's influence in the Upper House of the Maharashtra Legislature, while the MVA faces a difficult challenge in preventing further erosion of its position.

With polling just weeks away, both alliances are expected to intensify campaigning as the contest enters its final phase.