Prahar Janshakti Paksh chief Bacchu Kadu will be the candidate of Shiv Sena for the upcoming legislative council elections in Maharashtra, he said on Thursday. Kadu, a farmer leader and a former state minister, will also merge his party with Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's faction.
The development comes after Kadu met Shinde Wednesday night and placed his demands for the farmers, farm labourers and divyang (differently-abled) people.
"He (Shinde) assured me of support for my causes, and therefore I have decided to join the Shiv Sena. I will file my nomination for the MLC election as a Shiv Sena candidate," Kadu told reporters. "I lost the 2024 election, but I still managed to get the demand for farmers' loan relief approved by the state government. The government also accepted my demand to enhance financial assistance for divyang people in the state."
Kadu was a leader of the undivided once but left the party in 1999 to former the Prahar Janshakti Paksh. On his return to the Sena, the former Maharashtra minister said he is not new to the party and he is only returning after a gap.
Zeeshan Siddique fielded by NCP
In another development, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has fielded Zeeshan Siddique, a former MLA and son of late party leader Baba Siddique, as its candidate for the MLC elections. He will also file his nominations later in the day.
Zeeshan had unsuccessfully contested the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections from the Bandra East constituency. He had lost to Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Varun Sardesai by more than 11,000 votes. "I would like to thank Sunetra Pawar and other leaders. This is a big day for all of us. I will try my best to raise voices of the youth," Zeeshan said after being nominated by the NCP.
Legislative Council elections in Maharashtra
Nine Legislative Council members of Maharashtra, including Shiv Sena (UBT) president and former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, will retire on May 13. Polling for the nine MLC seats and a bypoll to one seat in the council will be held on May 12. The deadline for nomination filing is 3 pm on Thursday.
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