BJP Rebel Gokul Gite Defeats Shiv Sena's Narendra Darade in Nashik MLC Election
In a surprise political outcome, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rebel candidate Gokul Gite defeated the ruling Shiv Sena's official nominee, Narendra Darade, in the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) election for the Nashik local authorities constituency on Monday.
Official election results revealed that Gite secured 357 votes, while Darade managed to obtain 248 votes. Gite won the election by a margin of 109 votes, defying expectations of a strong challenge from the ruling coalition's candidate.
The election for the Nashik seat was held on June 18, alongside ten other seats in the state legislature's Upper House, with the counting of votes taking place on Monday.
The contest in Nashik had been marked by internal friction within the ruling alliance. Gite filed his nomination as an independent candidate against Darade, who belongs to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. The situation escalated into a controversy when Gite alleged that Darade had used foul language against him.
To defuse the tension, senior leaders of the Mahayuti alliance, including chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, BJP minister Girish Mahajan, and Shiv Sena minister Uday Samant, intervened. Following extensive discussions, Gite agreed to suspend his campaign. However, because the official deadline for withdrawing nominations had already passed, his name remained on the ballot.
Despite Gite's public announcement that he would not continue campaigning, local representatives voted in his favour, leading to his victory.
Reacting to the defeat, Shiv Sena MLC Manisha Kayande expressed reservations about the voting outcome. Kayande stated that there was serious doubt about the result, noting that the party had been assured of support for their candidate.
Following the announcement of the votes, a visibly upset Darade left the counting centre once it became clear that the majority of local representatives had cast their ballots in favour of Gite.
