Mumbai

Senior leaders of opposition parties believe it is important that Uddhav Thackeray is re-elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Council, Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena (UBT) said on Saturday.

Raut said Thackeray remains a strong voice of the opposition in the legislature and should continue to represent the alliance in the council.

“We all wish, and all senior opposition party leaders desire, that it is important that Uddhav Thackeray go to the legislature again,” he told reporters in Mumbai.

The remarks come as the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) prepares for upcoming council polls. According to Raut, the opposition alliance can realistically win one seat and should aim for an unopposed contest.

Within the MVA, Shiv Sena (UBT) currently has 20 MLAs in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, followed by the Indian National Congress with 16 and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) with 10.

Elections to nine seats in the legislative council are expected in April due to the retirement of several members, including Thackeray. The vacancies also include four legislators from the Bharatiya Janata Party and one each from the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), NCP, Congress and NCP (SP).

Raut said that if the opposition plans properly, it could win two seats, though one seat is almost certain under current numbers.

“The government must first agree that there should be an Opposition voice in the council,” he said.

He also criticised the ruling alliance, alleging arrogance and accusing it of relying on horse-trading and financial influence in elections.

The push by Shiv Sena (UBT) to field Thackeray could potentially create friction within the MVA, especially with the NCP (SP) and Congress.

The party is already unhappy about not being able to field its candidate in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Maharashtra. Based on the numbers in the 288-member assembly, the MVA is expected to win only one seat, which has been allotted to NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar.

Meanwhile, Aaditya Thackeray, a Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA, expressed disappointment over the decision.

“Going by the number of MLAs, we had the maximum strength in the House, but the seat was given to the party with the lowest number of MLAs,” he said.

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Biennial elections to seven Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra are currently underway, with the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance holding a strong numerical advantage. The last date for withdrawal of nominations is March 13.