Mumbai, April 28: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced five candidates for the upcoming biennial elections to the Maharashtra Legislative Council, scheduled for May 12.
Voting has been declared for all nine seats, as the current members’ terms will end on May 13. The last date for filing nominations is April 30.
The list of BJP candidates includes Sunil Karjatkar, Madhavi Naik, Sanjay Bhende, Vivek Kolhe, and Pramod Jathar. Additionally, the BJP has announced Pragya Satav’s nomination for the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections.
This move follows her departure from Congress in December 2025, resigning as a member of the upper house to join the BJP. The party aims to strike a balance by giving opportunities to both seasoned and young leaders during nominations.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis utilized his veto power in candidate selection after obtaining approval from the central leadership. Sunil Karjatkar has been actively involved with the party since its inception, working closely with prominent leaders like Pramod Mahajan and Gopinath Munde.
Madhavi Naik, a lawyer by profession, has progressed from her early association with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad to become the state general secretary of the BJP, actively engaged in organizational tasks.
Sanjay Bhende serves as the state vice president of the BJP and is the president of the Nagpur Urban Cooperative Bank Limited. He was a member of the state BJP executive from 2013 to 2015.
Vivek Kolhe, the grandson of former minister Shankarrao Kolhe, has held several significant positions, including chairman of the Cooperative Sugar Factory and trustee of the Sanjivani Rural Education Society. He has also been associated with various organizations in the cooperative and industrial sectors. Pramod Jathar is a former MLA from the coastal Sindhudurg district.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition, which holds a significant lead with 235 votes, is expected to comfortably secure eight seats, comprising five for the BJP, two for Shiv Sena, and one for the NCP.
Currently, the Maha Vikas Aghadi has 46 legislators, including 20 from Shiv Sena-UBT, 16 from Congress, and 10 from NCP-SP, allowing the opposition to potentially select a candidate, provided there is no cross-voting or defection.
Based on the current composition of the Maharashtra Assembly, a candidate needs 29 ‘first preference’ votes to win.
My name is Bhupendra Singh Chundawat. I am an experienced content writer with several years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including technology, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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