BJP gets third seat in Maharashtra, deals major blow to Shiv Sena

Vibha Sharma

New Delhi, June 11

Maharashtra’s ruling MVA suffered an embarrassment with the BJP winning third seat in the state in a straight fight against the Shiv Sena.

BJP’s third candidate Dhananjay Mahadik defeated Sena’s Sanjay Pawar.

Overall, the BJP and MVA won three seats each, an outcome that is expected to influence the coming MLC and civic elections in the state.

A candidate needed 41 votes for victory. However, the result showed an unexpected 10 votes in favour of the BJP. The other winners were the BJP’s Piyush Goyal and Anil Bonde, Congress’s Imran Pratapgarhi, NCP’s Praful Patel and Sena’s Sanjay Raut.

Both Piyush Goyal and Anil Bonde got 48 votes each. 

The BJP also dealt the Congress a major setback in Haryana with senior leader Ajay Maken losing to media baron Kartikeya Sharma – an independent candidate backed by the BJP.

The BJP got eight seats along with an Independent, Congress five and Shiv Sena and NCP one each on the 16 seats in four states.

Party general secretary BL Santhosh tweeted, “In an event filled day BJP wins 8 Rajyasabha seats & an independent supported by Party also won. With the win it also exposed the chinks in MVA Govt puncturing many a egos and the showed mirror to so called resurgent Congress in Karnataka and Maharashtra.”

Party and seats

BJP: 8

Congress: 5

NCP: 1

Shiv Sena: 1

Independent: 1