A group of Shiv Sena MLAs and some Independent legislators reportedly boarded a luxury bus on Monday for an unknown resort in Malad after a meeting with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. The removal of the MLAs came ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls in the state and amid fears of horse-trading by the opposition.
Maharashtra | Shiv Sena MLAs being shifted to a hotel in Malad, Mumbai ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections pic.twitter.com/BdZOI8CuBJ
— ANI (@ANI) June 6, 2022
Two buses were seen parked outside the Sahyadri Guest House, the official guest house of the Maharashtra government. There were speculations that the MLAs will be taken to Hotel Retreat in Malad, one of the western suburbs of Mumbai.
The MLAs are expected to spend the next three days at the hotel. According to the sources, Congress and NCP are also mulling over a strategy to keep their MLAs as well as Independents and legislators of allied parties together to avoid the risk of cross-voting.
In Maharashtra, six seats are there for the taking. BJP’s Piyush Goyal, Vinay Sahastrabuddhe, Congress’ Vikas Mahatme, and P Chidambaram are set for retirement. The terms of NCP MP Praful Patel and Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut also end on June 10. The BJP has fielded three candidates while in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) camp, the Congress and NCP have both fielded one candidate each, and the Shiv Sena two. The contest is for the sixth seat, with the BJP rejecting the MVA offer for an additional seat to avoid elections. The electoral battle will be between the BJP’s Dhananjay Mahadik and Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Pawar.
The BJP has fielded Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Anil Bonde, and ex-MP Dhananjay Mahadik, while Shiv Sena has named two candidates—Sanjay Raut and Sanjay Pawar. Praful Patel is renominated by the NCP while Congress has fielded Imran Pratapgarhi.
