Of the nine MLC seats falling vacant, MVA has enough numbers to elect one candidate. Congress and NCP(SP) were keen on Thackeray becoming an MLC in 2020 after he became chief minister, enabling him to continue in office.
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State Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal had met Thackeray recently, urging him to contest the polls. He had also indicated that if the UBT Sena chief would decide against contesting, Congress would field its candidate.
On Wednesday, Sapkal, who is in New Delhi, met the party leadership, where he argued that Congress should field a candidate for MLC elections. The development came after the UBT Sena declared Danve as the MVA nominee. The state Congress leadership feels that the UBT Sena took the decision unilaterally without taking the party into confidence.
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“MVA decisions must be taken through consensus. Only Sapkalji can shed light on the Congress decision, but as far as my information goes, there is a possibility that our party will field a candidate against Danve,” said Bhai Jagtap, Congress leader and MLC. Sources in the Congress, however, said if the party fields a candidate, BJP-Shiv Sena alliance may also field an additional candidate, anticipating a split in votes between Congress and UBT Sena nominees.
