Mahayuti sweeps Maha Legislative Council polls with 16 seats; Shinde's Sena suffers solo setback in Nashik
Mumbai, June 22
In a major boost, the ruling Mahayuti alliance has registered a resounding victory in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections, capturing 16 out of the 17 seats. However, the ruling combine's flawless run was disrupted in Nashik, where a high-profile rebellion handed a sharp blow to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena faction.
The biennial elections, which concluded with counting on Monday, saw the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) anchor the alliance's sweep, while the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a severe drubbing across local constituencies.
Prior to the polling for the 11 contested seats on June 18, the Mahayuti had already secured six seats unopposed. With Monday's final declarations, the ruling alliance completely dominated the polls comprising BJP: 11 seats, Shiv Sena (Shinde): 3 seats, NCP (Ajit Pawar): 2 seat and Independent: 1 seat.
The most stunning upset of the election unfolded in the Nashik Local Authorities' constituency. Despite heavy political manoeuvring by senior BJP leaders Girish Mahajan and Uday Samant, Independent candidate (BJP rebel) Gokul Gite refused to pull out of the race.
Gite, who ran an unconventional campaign without mainstream public rallies, secured a dramatic victory over the Mahayuti's official candidate, incumbent MLC Narendra Darade of Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena. Following his victory, Gite remarked to reporters that the result was a "triumph of truth" over high-handed pressure tactics.
While the Nashik result exposed internal friction within the Mahayuti's ranks, the Opposition MVA faced sweeping defeats in almost every major region, failing to convert local body networks into legislative seats.
Those who were elected unopposed earlier included Arun Lakhani (BJP) Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli, Prajakt Tanpure (BJP) Ahilyanagar (Ahmednagar), Ravindra Phatak (Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena) Thane, Dushyant Chaturvedi (Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena) Yavatmal, Aniket Tatkare (NCP Ajit Pawar) Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg and Vikram Kakade, Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) Pune.
In Bhandara-Gondia, BJP's Avinash Bramhankar comfortably defeated Congress-backed candidate Naresh Ishwarkar by a margin of 148 votes, clinching 304 votes against Ishwarkar's 152.
In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar-Jalna,the BJP's Suhas Shirsat routed Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Ganesh Lokhande, claiming a massive 454 votes to Lokhande's 134.
In Nanded, Mahayuti's Amarnath Rajurker steamrolled the competition by securing 339 votes. MVA candidate Krishna Patil Ashtikar managed only 84 votes, while Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) candidate Prashant Ingole trailed with just 5 votes. In Dharashiv-Latur-Beed, BJP's Basavraj Patil dominated the voting booths, pocketing 845 votes to comfortably enter the Legislative Council.
In Sangli-Satara, BJP's Dhairyasheel Kadam easily crossed the required winning quota of 443, securing 591 first-preference votes to defeat NCP's Abhayasinh Jagtap (295 votes).
In Jalgaon, Nandkishore Mahajan of the BJP cruised to a victory margin of 577 votes. The defeat prompted trailing MVA candidate Sharad Tayde (Shiv Sena UBT) to publicly criticise the election process, alleging the use of money power and raising suspicions over the voting instruments by calling it a "magic pen" operation.
The massive gain for the Mahayuti was structurally guaranteed early in the election cycle when 6 of their candidates won uncontested after multiple MVA alliance candidates withdrew their nominations on the final day of withdrawal.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Interesting to see how the MVA couldn't even win a single seat despite claiming strong local connect. And that Nashik rebel victory shows people don't like heavy-handed politics. Gokul Gite's "triumph of truth" comment is spot on.
Honestly, when 6 seats are won unopposed before voting even starts, it raises questions about the democratic process. But credit where due - BJP's booth management and alliance math is unbeatable these days. MVA needs serious introspection.
That Sharad Tayde comment about "magic pen" operation sounds like sour grapes, but we've seen how local body elections can be manipulated. Still, a 577-vote margin in Jalgaon is no joke - that's a clear mandate. Good to see democracy thriving in Maharashtra!
The Nashik result is the real story here. Shows that even in Mahayuti's fortress, rebels can win if they connect with people. But let's be honest - 16-1 is a crushing defeat for MVA. They need to rebuild from scratch, not just blame EVMs or money power.
Sad to see MVA losing everywhere - they used to have strong local body networks. But the writing was on the wall since the unopposed wins. BJP's alliance management is next level. Shinde's Sena needs to watch out though - that Nashik loss isn't a good sign for them internally.
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