Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole is likely to run for the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) president post in the upcoming elections scheduled for July 23. The election was necessitated by the sudden demise of the incumbent MCA president, Amol Kale, who suffered a heart attack in the US. The Mazgaon Cricket Club has nominated Patole as its representative, enabling him to file his nomination for the MCA president post. The late Amol Kale was a close friend of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Patole is also reaching out to Uddhav Thackeray.Eknath Shinde’s power playMaharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde recently met Union Minister Amit Shah in Delhi, where he reportedly made power-point presentations. Shinde conveyed that if the state assembly election is fought under his leadership, projecting him as the chief ministerial face of Mahayuti, they can reclaim power. He assured Shah that he has a mega plan, which he explained during his presentation. Shinde also promised to shoulder the entire election expenses if his candidacy as CM is upheld. However, the top BJP leadership has not yet given a clear signal.Biennial polls to Legislative CouncilIn the biennial elections of the Maharashtra state legislative council, 12 candidates have filed their applications for 11 seats. Speculation is rife that Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has enough numbers to secure seats for his two candidates with the quota of 23 MLAs. However, some of his MLAs, who are in contact with former Union Minister Sharad Pawar, might secretly vote against junior Pawar in the secret ballot on July 12 in Mumbai. Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) has not fielded its own candidate but has extended support to Peasant Workers Party (PWP) leader Jayant Patil, who heavily relies on Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar, and other turncoats during elections. Sudhir SuryawanshiOur correspondent in Maharashtrasuryawanshi.sudhir@gmail.com
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