Maharashtra Elections 2024: Mahayuti cracks the code to win 'Maha ...

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged as the clear victor in Maharashtra, securing 132 seats with an impressive strike rate of nearly 90 per cent—its best-ever performance in the state. The scale of the BJP's triumph is evident, with its projected seat count more than double that of the opposition-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which includes Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP). Remarkably, even within the ruling Mahayuti alliance, the BJP leads in more seats than its combined allies, Shiv Sena and NCP.

Maharashtra state voted for its 288-seat assembly on November 20 with a turnout of 66.05 per cent, compared to nearly 61 per cent in the 2019 state elections.

Both camps, that is, Mahayuti, which comprises of BJP, NCP (Ajit Pawar Camp) and Ekanth Shinde's Shiv Sena, and MVA (Congress, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar's NCP), were in an intense two-way battle.

Maharashtra Election Results: Catch all live updates

Key HighlightsThe Election Commission's latest trends for Maharashtra show the BJP leading decisively with 131 seats, followed by Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) at 54 and NCP at 40. Congress trails with 19 seats, while Shiv Sena (UBT) is at 20, and NCPSP at 12. Independents and smaller parties account for 12 leads.Sanjay Raut's claims of 'gadbad hai' (something is wrong) emerge as Shinde Sena takes lead.Chandrakant Patil, senior BJP leader in Maharashtra, bats for Fadnavis as CM. He says, "Who the CM would be will be decided by our central parliamentary board. However, if we are asked, we would unanimously say it should be Devendra Fadnavis as the Chief Minister. However, I repeat, it is not up to us but will be decided by the central parliamentary board."Sharad Pawar's move to rely on Maratha candidates perhaps has not worked. In Parli, NCP's Dhananjay Munde won against his NCPSP rival Rajesaheb Deshmukh. Munde is from the Vanjari caste while Deshmukh is from the Maratha caste. A key factor in the election's outcome was the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, which provides Rs 1,500 to eligible women. Shinde referred to this initiative as a "major game changer" for the state elections.Key winnersKalidas Kolambkar, BJP candidate from Wadala in Mumbai, wins.Shiv sena's Suhas Babar wins from Khanapur seat.Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde retains Kopri-Pachpakhadi assembly seat in Thane district by a margin of 1,20,717 votes.Shiv Sena's Arjun Khotkar wins Jalna.In Sakoli, state Congress President Nana Patole wins by just 152 votes.State NCP President (Sharad Pawar faction) wins from Islampur.Jitendra Awhad of NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) secures Kalwa-Mumbra.Uday Samant (Shiv Sena) claims victory in Ratnagiri.Deepak Kesarkar (Shiv Sena) wins in Sawantwadi.BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis emerges victorious in Nagpur South West.Saroj Ahire from NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) wins Deolali.Sanjay Gaikwad of Shiv Sena wins Buldhana.Ajit Pawar defeats nephew Yugendra Pawar to win Baramati.Jyoti Gaikwad and sister of Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad wins Dharavi. Mahesh Sawant of UBT Sena defeats Amit Thackeray, son of Raj Thackeray to win Mahim. Aaditya Thackeray defeats Shinde Sena leader Milind Deora to clinch Worli.Former CM Prithviraj Chavan loses South Karad seat to BJP's Atulbaba Bhosale.In Nagpur South West, BJP's Devendra Gangadhar Fadnavis has defeated Congress' Prafulla Vinodrao Gudadhe.In Sangamner, Shiv Sena's Amol Dhondiba Khatal won against Balasaheb Thorat of Congress.Nitesh Narayan Rane of BJP emerged victorious by 58,007 votes from Kankavali against Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sandesh Bhaskar Parkar. Samajwadi Party's Abu Azmi won in Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar Assembly constituency in Maharashtra.Varun Sardesai, maternal cousin of Aaditya Thackeray clinches victory in Vandre East against Zeeshan Siddique of NCP (Ajit Pawar).In Brahmapuri, Congress' Vijay Wadettiwar wins against BJP's Krishnalal Bajirao Sahare.In Mahim, Mahesh Baliram Sawant from Shiv Sena (UBT) wins against Shiv Sena’s Sada Sarvankar. Raj Thackeray's son Amit came third. In Karjat Jamkhed, Rohit Pawar of the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) wins against BJP's Prof. Ram Shankar Shinde.Maharashtra NCP (SP) president Jayant Patil retains Islampur seat in Sangli district with victory margin of 13,027 votes.In Katol, BJP's Charansing Babulalji Thakur wins against NCP (SP) candidate Anil Deshmukh by 38,816 votes.Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar won in Vandre West assembly seat by 19,931 votes. Maharashtra Elections 2024

As part of the Mahayuti alliance, BJP has contested on the highest number of seats at 148. Incumbent Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena faction has been fighting on 80 seats while Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's NCP faction contested on 52. Six additional seats, too, have candidates fielded by the alliance.

Meanwhile, the opposing MVA alliance has allocated 102 seats to the Congress, 96 to Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena faction, and 86 to Sharad Pawar's NCP faction. The Samajwadi Party and smaller MVA allies will each contest two seats.

A total of 9.8 crore voters had the power to decide the fate of 4,136 candidates in fray and today is the day to find out who wins and who loses this battle for power.

In the previous 2019 elections, the BJP secured victory in 105 constituencies. The then-unified Shiv Sena won 56 seats, and the unified NCP won 54.

The Congress secured 44 seats, while independent candidates and other parties won 13 and 16 seats respectively.

The pre-poll campaigns for both camps were marred by controversies and even a murder. With Baba Siddique gunned down ahead of elections last month and Anil Deshmukh attacked in Nagpur, just two days before the voting, Maharashtra elections have taken centre stage in the nation's political landscape. In the latest, the cash-for-vote row, where BJP leader Vinod Tawde was allegedly distributing cash, has further elevated the battle in the state.

Exit polls hinted Mahayuti's return

Several exit polls on Wednesday indicated a strong performance by BJP-led alliances in the Maharashtra, though two projected the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition as leading in Maharashtra.

Some pollsters even forecasted a significant victory for the BJP-led Mahayuti in Maharashtra, securing as much as 160 seats, comfortably crossing the majority threshold of 145. The Congress-led INDIA bloc is projected to secure approximately 120 seats.

Sena vs Sena: Uddhav vs Shinde

At the heart of this political saga is the Shiv Sena, now deeply divided between two leaders. The faction led by Eknath Shinde, who staged a dramatic rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray in 2022, has now been officially recognised by the Election Commission as the "real" Shiv Sena. With the support of 37 out of the 54 Sena MLAs, Shinde's defection reshaped the state's politics and ultimately led him to the chief minister's seat with the BJP's backing, toppling the Uddhav-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

In early 2023, the Election Commission awarded Shinde's faction the iconic "bow and arrow" symbol, solidifying his claim as the true successor to Bal Thackeray's legacy. The Uddhav-led faction, left without the party’s traditional name and symbol, has since been on a mission to reclaim its political identity.

Pawar vs Pawar: A family battle

Maharashtra’s other big family feud comes courtesy of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), once united under Sharad Pawar. However, in a stunning turn of events, Ajit Pawar, Sharad's nephew, split the party in 2023, taking a majority of MLAs with him to form an alliance with the BJP.

The Election Commission, recognising Ajit Pawar's legislative majority, awarded him the party's traditional "clock" symbol in February 2024.

With 57 out of 81 NCP legislators rallying behind him, Ajit Pawar’s group has positioned itself as the big faction of NCP, leaving Sharad Pawar—a key figure in Maharashtra politics—with just 28 legislators in his camp.

BJP vs Congress: Haryana election boost

With its allies firmly in place, the BJP is aiming to capitalise on the divisions within its rival parties.
In 2019, the BJP won 105 seats in Maharashtra, while Congress secured 44. Now, with Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP on its side, the BJP is eyeing a repeat of its successes in other states, such as Haryana, where it outmaneuvered Congress’s populist "freebies" strategy.

While Congress promised free electricity and expansive healthcare benefits, the BJP countered with targeted welfare schemes like Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farmers and direct financial aid to women.

The Lok Sabha Fallout

The looming state elections follow a surprising Lok Sabha outcome, where the BJP-led Maha Yuti Alliance (MYA) won just 17 of Maharashtra's 48 seats, a stark contrast to its previous dominance. The BJP’s tally dropped to 9 seats from 23 five years earlier, while the Maha Vikas Aghadi swept 30 seats.

The below-par performance at the Centre prompted senior BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to offer to resign from his post. This was to concentrate on party activities in preparation for the assembly elections. However, after a party meeting where state BJP legislators passed a resolution expressing their confidence in him, Fadnavis announced that he would continue in his role.

Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) posted an impressive 43% strike rate in the Lok Sabha elections, securing 9 out of 21 seats it contested. Shinde’s faction, in contrast, won only 7 out of 15 seats. The Congress and senior Pawar's NCP won 13 and 8 seats, respectively.

Uddhav’s success in Mumbai, where his faction won three out of four seats, has bolstered his claim to the political legacy of Bal Thackeray, despite losing the party’s name and symbol.