Nagpur: With the Election Commission announcing the schedule for the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections, attention has turned to the Nagpur Local Authorities' Constituency, where a bypoll will be held following the vacancy created by Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule's election to the Legislative Assembly in 2024.
BJP Confident of Retaining Seat
The Bharatiya Janata Party has expressed confidence in retaining the seat, stating it has the required numbers. Party functionaries indicated that a meeting will be held shortly to finalize the strategy and candidate selection for the bypoll.
Shorter Tenure for Nagpur Winner
Unlike the other 16 council seats, where winners will serve a full six-year term, the Nagpur by-election winner will hold office only until January 1, 2028. Party insiders noted that the shorter tenure may discourage senior functionaries from contesting unless there is clarity on renomination in 2028.
BJP state vice-president Dr. Upendra Kothekar said the announcement came unexpectedly. "We did not anticipate the Nagpur poll, so there is no immediate strategy. A meeting this week will address this," he said.
Broader Election Strategy
Regarding the broader 17-seat election, Kothekar stated that district-level consultations would precede candidate selection. "Each district unit will submit recommendations before the party finalizes names," he said, adding that numbers were not a concern. "We have the numbers; the focus is on choosing the right candidate."
Poll Schedule and Process
Polling for all 17 seats will be held on June 18, with counting on June 22 and the process concluding by June 25. The notification will be issued next Monday, nominations will close on June 1, scrutiny is scheduled for June 2, and withdrawal can be done until June 4.
The elections were delayed as Election Commission norms require at least 75% of local bodies and electors in a constituency to be in place. The Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra has confirmed that both conditions are now met across all 17 constituencies.
