Maharashtra Council polls 2025: MahaYuti, MVA battle rebel candidates ahead of June 18 vote
Synopsis
With polling for 17 Maharashtra Legislative Council seats just weeks away, both the ruling MahaYuti and the opposition MVA are battling open revolts across at least nine constituencies. Allies are filing against allies, and the June 4 nomination withdrawal deadline is the last chance to prevent a vote-splitting catastrophe for both fronts.
Key Takeaways
Polling for 17 Maharashtra Legislative Council seats is scheduled for June 18, 2025 .
The MahaYuti alliance faces rebel candidates in at least nine constituencies , with BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP members filing against each other's official nominees.
Key flashpoints include Raigad , Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar-Jalna , Yavatmal , Pune , Nashik , Parbhani , Nanded , Amravati , and Jalgaon .
The MVA is also facing internal revolts in Nanded , Bhandara-Gondia , Sangli , and Solapur .
Deputy CM Eknath Shinde said direct talks with aggrieved leaders will continue until the June 4 withdrawal deadline.
Failure to contain the rebellions risks splitting vote banks and undermining seat-sharing arrangements on both sides.
Maharashtra Legislative Council elections, scheduled for June 18 across 17 seats, have been thrown into turmoil as a sweeping wave of rebellion engulfs both the ruling MahaYuti alliance and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). With the deadline for withdrawal of nominations set for June 4, top leadership on both sides is scrambling to contain defections that threaten to fracture official seat-sharing arrangements.
Scale of the Rebellion
The revolt is most acute within the MahaYuti coalition — comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) — with insubordination reported across at least nine constituencies. Allies are openly turning on one another, with candidates from partner parties filing rebel nominations against each other's official nominees.
In Raigad, the NCP officially fielded Aniket Tatkare, but Juili Dalvi, daughter of Shiv Sena leader Mahendra Dalvi, entered the race as a rebel. In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar-Jalna, the BJP's declared candidate is Suhas Shirsat, yet Sameer Sattar — son of sitting Shiv Sena Minister Abdul Sattar — has filed a rival nomination.
In Yavatmal, Shiv Sena's official pick Dushyant Chaturvedi faces a double revolt: BJP's Nitin Bhutada and NCP's Sajid Beg have both entered as rebel candidates. In Pune, the NCP fielded Vikram Kakade, only for BJP's Pradeep Kand and former NCP legislator Sunil Tingre to file independent papers.
Constituency-by-Constituency Flashpoints
The rebellion extends across multiple districts. In Amravati, BJP's official nominee Pravin Pote faces a challenge from Shiv Sena's Viplav Bajoria. In Nashik, independent candidates Gokul Gite and Ganesh Gite — reportedly close to senior BJP leader Girish Mahajan — filed nominations against Shiv Sena's official candidate Narendra Darade, complicating the contest.
In Parbhani, Shiv Sena's nominee Saeeda Khan triggered a revolt from within the NCP, with Vijay Jamkar and Zilla Parishad member Sangram Jamkar filing rival papers. In Nanded, BJP's official candidate Amarnath Rajurkar faces a challenge from Pravin Patil Chikhalikar, son of NCP MLA Chikhalikar. In Jalgaon, Shiv Sena's Reshma Kale and Deepak Dhande defied the alliance to file against BJP's official nominee Nandkishor Mahajan.
MVA Also Gripped by Internal Disputes
The opposition MVA — comprising the Indian National Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) — is not immune. In Nanded, Congress officially fielded Ramdas Sumthankar, but Madhavrao Jawalgaonkar rebelled. Krishna Ashtikar, son of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Nagesh Ashtikar, also filed a rebel nomination from the Thackeray faction.
In Bhandara-Gondia, Congress nominee Dilip Bansod faces parallel candidacies from Praful Agrawal and Naresh Ishwarkar. In Sangli, the NCP (SP) faction fielded Balasaheb Patil, but Congress leaders Sanjay Mendhe and Mayur Patil filed their own papers. In Solapur, Congress's official nominee Aditya Fattepurkar faces a multi-party revolt, with NCP (SP)'s Vasant 'Nana' Deshmukh and Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Nagesh Akkalkote entering as rebels.
What the Leadership Said
Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde acknowledged the widespread unrest, stating that top leadership is actively working to resolve the crisis. 'The last date for the withdrawal of nominations is June 4. We will hold direct discussions with all aggrieved leaders until then to find an amicable solution. The Mahayuti alliance will fight this election with complete unity,' Shinde said.
NCP treasurer Jay Pawar said the party would 'do justice' to those who could not be accommodated in the current round of nominations, specifically citing the Pune constituency. Former minister Dilip Walse Patil clarified that Vikram Kakade remains the NCP's official nominee from Pune.
What Happens Next
With the June 4 withdrawal deadline approaching, both alliances face a high-stakes window to pacify their rank-and-file. Failure to rein in rebel candidates risks splitting votes in closely contested seats, potentially handing advantages to rival fronts. The outcome of these internal negotiations will set the tone for the June 18 polling day across all 17 council seats.
Point of View
And the moment ticket distribution begins, the fault lines become visible. The real story is not that rebels filed; it is that so many are children or close associates of sitting ministers and senior leaders, signalling that even the inner circle feels unheard. Shinde's assurance of 'complete unity' by June 4 is a high bar given that at least nine constituencies are affected. If even two or three rebel candidates hold their ground, the vote-splitting arithmetic could cost the alliance seats it would otherwise have won comfortably — a lesson both fronts appear not to have fully absorbed from past council cycles.
NationPress
6 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
When are the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections being held?
The Maharashtra Legislative Council elections are scheduled for June 18, 2025 , covering 17 seats . The deadline for withdrawal of nominations is June 4, 2025 .
Which constituencies are most affected by the MahaYuti rebellion?
Rebellion has been reported in at least nine MahaYuti constituencies, including Raigad , Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar-Jalna , Yavatmal , Pune , Nashik , Parbhani , Nanded , Amravati , and Jalgaon . In several cases, candidates from one alliance partner have filed nominations against the official candidate of another.
Is the MVA also facing internal revolts?
Yes, the MVA is dealing with prominent revolts in Nanded , Bhandara-Gondia , Sangli , and Solapur . Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP) members have filed nominations against each other's official candidates in several of these seats.
What has Eknath Shinde said about the MahaYuti rebellions?
Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde acknowledged the unrest and said the top leadership would hold direct talks with all aggrieved leaders before the June 4 withdrawal deadline. He stated the alliance would contest the elections with 'complete unity.'
Why do these rebellions matter for the election outcome?
Rebel candidates from within the same alliance split votes in constituencies where margins can be narrow, potentially handing seats to the rival front. With rebellions reported across at least nine MahaYuti seats and four MVA seats, the internal fractures could significantly alter the final tally on June 18 .
