Maharashtra Legislative Council: 10 seats to go unopposed on May 12
Synopsis
All 10 Maharashtra Legislative Council seats will be filled without a vote — a rare political consensus where both the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition MVA opted to avoid a contest, with Congress standing down to back Ambadas Danve as the joint MVA pick. The outcome sidesteps any horse-trading risk ahead of the 12 May election date.
Key Takeaways
10 valid nominations filed for 10 available seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Council by the 30 April 2025 deadline, making the election effectively uncontested.
BJP fielded five candidates: Sunil Karjatkar , Madhavi Naik , Sanjay Bhende , Vivek Kolhe , and Pramod Jathar ; plus by-election nominee Pragnya Satav .
Shiv Sena nominated sitting member Neelam Gorhe and Bacchu Kadu , who merged his outfit Prahar into the party.
NCP picked Zeeshan Siddique after shortlisting five names from 85 aspirants ; Shiv Sena (UBT) fielded Ambadas Danve as the joint MVA candidate.
Congress withdrew its nominee to back Danve, avoiding a contest and any horse-trading risk ahead of the 12 May election date.
Three independent nominations are expected to be rejected during scrutiny for lacking mandatory 10 MLA proposer signatures.
The biennial election to nine seats of the Maharashtra Legislative Council is set to be effectively uncontested, as all 10 valid nominations — including one by-election candidate — were filed by the last date on Thursday, 30 April 2025, with no opposition candidate entering the fray. The voting, originally scheduled for 12 May, has been rendered a formality.
Who Filed Nominations
Of the nine biennial nominees, five belong to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP): Sunil Karjatkar, Madhavi Naik, Sanjay Bhende, Vivek Kolhe, and Pramod Jathar. Shiv Sena fielded Neelam Gorhe — a sitting member whose term ends on 13 May — and Bacchu Kadu, the founder of the now-merged outfit Prahar, who formally joined Shiv Sena in the presence of party chief and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde before submitting his papers. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) nominated Zeeshan Siddique, a former Member of Legislative Assembly and son of the late party leader Baba Siddique. Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) fielded Ambadas Danve, chosen by party chief Uddhav Thackeray for his record as Leader of Opposition in the State Council.
Separately, BJP nominee Pragnya Satav — who left the Congress and resigned from the upper house in December 2025 — filed her nomination for the by-election seat, bringing the total valid nominations to 10 for 10 available seats.
How the Congress Stepped Back
On Wednesday, the Congress had announced it would field a nominee after Uddhav Thackeray declared Danve's candidacy. However, following a meeting with the Shiv Sena (UBT) delegation, Congress decided against fielding its own candidate and chose instead to back Danve as the joint candidate of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The decision effectively left the field clear for all 10 nominees to be returned unopposed.
NCP's Selection Process
The NCP had shortlisted five names from a pool of 85 aspirants — Anand Paranjape, Suraj Chavan, Umesh Patil, Zeeshan Siddique, and Nazer Kazi. The core committee, headed by party chief and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, was granted authority to make the final call and ultimately chose Siddique.
Numbers Behind the Uncontested Outcome
To secure a seat, a candidate requires a quota of 29 votes based on the current Assembly strength. The ruling Mahayuti alliance — comprising BJP (131 MLAs), Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena (57 MLAs), and Ajit Pawar's NCP (40 MLAs) — commands sufficient numbers to comfortably elect eight candidates. The MVA, with a combined strength of 46 MLAs, can secure one seat with ease. Three independent candidates who filed nominations are expected to be rejected during scrutiny for lacking the mandatory signatures of 10 MLAs as proposers.
What Observers Are Saying
Political observers noted that the uncontested outcome reflects a strategic consensus between the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition MVA to avoid a high-stakes horse-trading scenario. With no surplus candidates and no floor-crossing incentive, the transition of incoming Members of the Legislative Council is expected to be smooth. The results will be formalised around 12 May 2025, when the election date arrives.
Point of View
Making a contest pointless and costly. Congress's decision to stand down — despite announcing a candidate just 24 hours earlier — underscores how tactical compulsions now override the optics of opposition unity. The real story is Bacchu Kadu's absorption into Shiv Sena: the merger of Prahar quietly consolidates Shinde's regional base ahead of future electoral cycles, a development that deserves more scrutiny than the uncontested election itself.
NationPress
1 May 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are the Maharashtra Legislative Council seats going unopposed?
All 10 available seats received exactly 10 valid nominations by the 30 April 2025 deadline, with no opposition party fielding a surplus candidate to force a contest. Congress withdrew its nominee to back the joint MVA candidate Ambadas Danve, leaving the field clear.
Who are the BJP nominees for the Maharashtra Legislative Council election?
BJP fielded five candidates for the biennial election — Sunil Karjatkar, Madhavi Naik, Sanjay Bhende, Vivek Kolhe, and Pramod Jathar — along with Pragnya Satav for the by-election seat vacated after she left the Congress in December 2025.
Who is Zeeshan Siddique and why was he chosen by NCP?
Zeeshan Siddique is a former MLA and the son of the late NCP leader Baba Siddique. He was selected by NCP's core committee, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, from a shortlist of five after the party received 85 applications for the seat.
What is the vote quota required to win a Maharashtra Legislative Council seat?
Based on the current Assembly strength, a candidate requires 29 votes to secure a seat in this election. Mahayuti's combined 228 MLAs comfortably cover eight seats, while the MVA's 46 MLAs are sufficient for one seat.
When will the Maharashtra Legislative Council election results be declared?
The election was scheduled for 12 May 2025. With all 10 seats uncontested, the results will be formalised on that date as a procedural formality, with all 10 nominees expected to be declared elected.
