The Maharashtra Congress is preparing to stake its claim for one of the nine seats in the Legislative Council elections scheduled for May 12. This move may reignite tensions within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, which includes the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal has traveled to New Delhi to discuss the party's position with senior leaders. Congress insiders assert that the party deserves a chance to contest after stepping aside for Sharad Pawar in the recent Rajya Sabha elections. If the seat is allocated to Congress, potential candidates include Balasaheb Thorat, Muzaffar Hussain, and Sachin Sawant. The MVA coalition holds a combined strength of 46 votes, with the winning quota for each seat set at 29 votes. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) is advocating for Uddhav Thackeray to run for the seat he previously held, warning that without his candidacy, the ruling alliance may introduce additional candidates, leading to a contested election. A separate by-election will also be held to fill the vacancy left by Congress member Pradnya Satav, who resigned and joined the BJP. The winning candidate for this by-election will need 144 votes.