The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday declared the names of three candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Council bypolls, including a close aide of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and a former MLA. The by-elections, scheduled for March 27, were triggered after five sitting MLCs vacated their seats following their victories in the November 2024 Assembly elections.
Among the five vacant seats, three were held by BJP members, while one each belonged to the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). All three parties are part of the ruling Mahayuti coalition in Maharashtra, giving them a strong numerical advantage in the 288-member Legislative Assembly.
The BJP’s candidates for the bypolls include Sandip Diwakarrao Joshi, former mayor of Nagpur and a trusted associate of Fadnavis; Sanjay Kishanrao Kenekar, the state BJP general secretary, and former MLA Dadarao Yadavrao Keche. Keche, who represented Arvi constituency in Wardha district in 2009 and 2019, was denied a ticket in the 2024 elections in favour of Sumit Wankhede, Fadnavis’ former personal secretary.
With nominations open until March 17, the scrutiny of candidates will take place on March 18, and withdrawals are permitted until March 20. Given Mahayuti’s significant majority in the Assembly—BJP holding 132 seats, Shiv Sena 57, and NCP 41—the ruling coalition is well-positioned to secure all five seats uncontested. However, if required, voting will be conducted on March 27, with MLAs forming the electoral college.
