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The election for the Deputy Chairman position in the Maharashtra Legislative Council is being held today at 1 pm.
The Mahayuti is contesting against Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) MLC Sachin Ahir and the Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA) MLC J.M. Abhyankar of Shiv Sena (Thackeray faction). Given the Mahayuti's clear majority, Sachin Ahir's victory is considered almost certain. Eknath Shinde kept Sachin Ahir's joining the party and candidacy a closely guarded secret. However, at the last minute, Sachin Ahir's nomination was filed in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, Chandrakant Patil, and Neelam Gorhe. Speaking after filing his nomination Ahir had said, "I will honestly shoulder the responsibility given to me by Eknath Shinde, I will try to bring together people of all sections of society and do justice to them..." On Tuesday, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray suffered another setback after its Legislative Council member Sachin Ahir joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. The latest development comes after six Shiv Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MPs -- Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav, Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure, Omprakash Bhupalsingh Nimbalkar, Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh and Nagesh Bapurao Patil Ashtikar -- formally joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, leading to the success of "Operation Tiger." The defection had reduced Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT)'s strength in the Lok Sabha, marking another major setback for the party following the 2022 split. Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday, while addressing a large public gathering in Dharashiv, questioned the political developments in Maharashtra and targeted those responsible for the split in Shiv Sena. "Why are they breaking the Shiv Sena? They want to finish Maharashtra, finish Shiv Sena, and finish Maharashtra Dharma."He also raised concerns over industrial development in the State, alleging a shift in investment away from Maharashtra. "In the last ten years, has even one company come to Maharashtra? Everything goes to Gujarat, Gujarat," Thackeray said. Drawing a comparison with the legacy of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, he added, "Balasaheb's Shiv Sena cannot be measured by the number of MLAs and MPs." The rally is being seen as part of the Shiv Sena (UBT) leadership's efforts to consolidate its organisational base and counter the political impact of recent defections. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut challenged the rebel leader to resign and face the public again if he is confident in his decision."If you want to commit treachery, then resign, stand for election again, and then you will see whether the people of Yavatmal-Washim are with the traitors or with the loyalists. This ocean of loyalists will not rest until it has swept away these traitors," he added. The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader asserted that the party would "rise from the ashes" and maintain its hold over Maharashtra despite the vertical split in 2022. (ANI)
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