Nimbalkar elected Maha Council chairman after Sena, BJP call

After bitterly criticising BJP for joining hands with NCP to oust Maharashtra Legislative Council Chairman belonging to Congress, Shiv Sena today called truce with its saffron ally and withdrew its candidate to facilitate unanimous election of a Sharad Pawar aide to the post.
NCP nominee Ramraje Nimbalkar was declared elected after both Shiv Sena and Congress nominees withdrew from the fray following a last-minute phone call between Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
"Uddhavji had first asked me to fill up candidature for the post. He then spoke to the CM after which we decided to take our nomination back," Sena candidate Neelam Gorhe told the House.

Staring at a certain defeat, Congress nominee Sharad Ranpise, too withdrew from the fray, paving the way for election of Nimbalkar, who belongs to the royal family of Phaltan in western Maharashtra, uncontested.
After the proposers of the Congress and Shiv Sena candidates formally withdrew their nominations, Deputy Chairman Vasant Davkhare announced the election of Nimbalkar unopposed.
Barring the ruling BJP, other three major parties- NCP, Shiv Sena and Congress had fielded their candidates for the poll after Shivajirao Deshmukh was on Monday removed from his post through a no-confidence motion.

BJP had backed the NCP-sponsored motion that left the Shiv Sena fuming and calling it a "betrayal" of the people of Maharashtra. Shiv Sena had abstained from voting on the no-confidence motion.

Citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's description of the NCP as the "Naturally Corrupt Party that has looted the people of Maharashtra", the Sena, which is a junior partner in the government, said BJP's act of supporting the NCP has shown that there were no permanent friends or foes in politics.
"There were people who had criticised us for backing Congress' Presidential candidates Pratibha Patil and Pranab Mukherjee. The hands of the very same people have now got dirty as they have joined hands with a corrupt party," Shiv Sena said in its mouthpiece 'Saamana'.