BJP's Prasad Lad wins MLC bypoll, beats Oppn by 15 votes

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday proved that their claim of 15-20 MLAs from Opposition being in touch with them was not hot air as the BJP candidate Prasad Lad won bye-election for legislative council seat with at least 15 more votes from Opposition MLAs.

The bye-election was due after Narayan Rane resigned as MLC and also left Congress party. Dilip Mane, the congress candidate got 73 votes despite the fact that Congress and NCP together had 83 votes. Two votes were invalid while two AIMIM MLAs Waris Pathan and Imtiaz Zaleel did not vote.

BJP has 122 MLAs while Shiv Sena has 62, Congress 42 and NCP has 41 MLAs. The Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) has three MLAs while Bahujan Vikas Aghadi has 3 MLAs. AIMIM has two while Samajwadi Party has one MLA in Abu Azami.

MNS has one MLA, Rashtriya Samaj Party has one mla, RPI has one MLA and Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh and CPI (M) has one mla while there are seven independents. Lad was expected to get 194, but got 209 votes, which means at least 15 MLAs cross-voted in favour of BJP. If claim by Congress leader Sharad Ranpise that two invalid votes are of BJP MLAs is true, then two more votes from Opposition have gone in Lad's favour.

VOTES ON THE CARDS

• Lad won at least 15 more votes from Opposition MLAs, suggesting support for the BJP
   
• The election was due after Narayan Rane resigned
   
• Cong’s Dilip Mane got 73 votes although his party and \NCP had 83 votes
   
• BJP has 122 MLAs while Shiv Sena has 62, Congress 42 and NCP has 41 MLAs