MNS feilds filmmaker Abhijit Panse from Konkan Graduates' seat for Maharashtra Council polls

Abhijit Panse/ X

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) announced on Monday that film director Abhijit Panse will be its candidate for the Konkan Graduates constituency in the forthcoming legislative council elections on June 26.

Currently, Niranjan Davkhare of the BJP represents the Konkan Graduates constituency. This decision comes after MNS chairman Raj Thackeray recently declared unequivocal support for Maharashtra's ruling Mahayuti alliance of the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, as well as his support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

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MNS General Secretary Shirish Sawant announced Panse's candidature for the MLC polls. The biannual elections, necessitated by the expiration of incumbent members' mandates in July, will include the Mumbai Graduates, Mumbai Teachers, and Nashik Teachers constituencies, reported PTI.

The party shared the announcement on their official social media handles. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), MNS said, "As per the order of Raj Thackeray, the leader of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Abhijit Panse's candidature has been announced."

The BJP has yet to name its candidates, with the nomination deadline set for June 7th. Voting will take place on June 26, with results revealed on July 1.

In other news, the Shiv Sena has announced Anil Parab and J M Abhyankar as candidates for the Mumbai Graduates and Mumbai Teachers constituencies, respectively. These seats are now represented by Kapil Patil (JD(U)), Vilas Potnis (Shiv Sena (UBT)), and Kishore Darade, an independent MLC.

The Maharashtra Legislative Council has 78 members. Currently, the BJP has 22 seats, the Shiv Sena (undivided) has 11, the NCP (undivided) has 9, and the Congress has 8, with many other parties and independents filling the remaining seats. Following recent political upheavals, numerous Shiv Sena and NCP MLCs have aligned with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

Maharashtra Legislative Council polls on June 10

The Election Commission of India has declared that elections for four seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Council will be held on June 10. According to the official statement, vote counting will take place on June 13. According to the source, the existing Legislative Council (MLCs) will conclude its six-year term on July 7.

The seats up for election include the Mumbai teachers' and graduates' constituencies, which are now held by Kapil Patil (Lok Bharati) and Vilas Potnis (Shiv Sena (UBT), respectively, according to the news agency report.