New Delhi: The counting of votes for the Maharashtra Assembly elections commenced at 8am on Saturday. The state went to the polls in a single phase on 20 November. The contest between the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has turned into a high-stakes battle for both sides.
The Mahayuti alliance, which includes the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, is confident of retaining power, bolstered by exit polls that largely predict their victory. On the other hand, the MVA—comprising Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP)—is striving to capitalise on its performance in the Lok Sabha elections, where it won 31 out of 48 seats.
The role of independents
One of the key factors in this election is the impact of rebels and independent candidates. While both alliances managed to convince many rebels to step aside, over 2,000 independents remain in the fray, representing almost 50% of all candidates. Both sides are aware that these independents and rebels could play a decisive role in shaping the results in many constituencies.
All 288 seats in the state are witnessing intense multi-cornered battles, but 16 constituencies have drawn special attention.
Seats in focus
– Kankavli: BJP heavyweight Nitesh Rane faces Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Sandesh Parkar.
– Mumbadevi: Shaina NC of Shiv Sena takes on Congress’s Amin Patel.
– Vandre West: BJP’s Ashish Shelar is up against Congress’s Asif Zakaria.
– Vandre East: Zeeshan Siddique, now with Ajit Pawar’s NCP, contests Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Varun Sardesai.
– Karad South: BJP’s Atul Suresh Bhosale challenges former Maharashtra CM and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan.
| Constituency | Winner | Loser |
| Karad South | ||
| Vandre East | ||
| Vandre West | ||
| Mumbadevi | ||
| Kankavli |
Apart from these five, other constituencies in focus include
| Constituency | Mahayuti | MVA | |
| Kopri-Pachpakhadi | Eknath Shinde (Shiv Sena) | Kedar Dighe (Shiv Sena-UBT) | |
| Nagpur South West | Devendra Fadnavis (BJP) | Prafulla Gudadhe-Patil (Congress) | |
| Baramati | Ajit Pawar (NCP) | Yugendra Pawar (NCP-SP) | |
| Worli | Milind Deora (Shiv Sena) | Aaditya Thackeray (Shiv Sena-UBT) | |
| Kamthi | Chandrashekhar Bawankule (BJP) | Suresh Bhoyar (Congress) | |
| Colaba | Rahul Narwekar (BJP) | Heera Devasi (Congress) | |
| Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar | Nawab Malik (NCP) | Abu Azmi (Samajwadi Party) | |
| Yevla | Chhagan Bhujbal (NCP) | Manikrao Shinde (NCP-SP) | |
| Bhokar | Sreejaya Chavan (BJP) | Tirupati Kondhekar (Congress) | |
| Karad South | Atul Suresh Bhosale (BJP) | Prithviraj Chavan (Congress) | |
| Vandre East | Zeeshan Siddique (NCP) | Varun Sardesai (Shiv Sena-UBT) | |
| Vandre West | Ashish Shelar (BJP) | Asif Zakaria (Congress) | |
| Mumbadevi | Shaina NC (Shiv Sena) | Amin Patel (Congress) | |
| Kankavli | Nitesh Rane (BJP) | Sandesh Parkar (Shiv Sena-UBT) | |
| Kudal | Nilesh Rane (Shiv Sena) | Vaibhav Naik (Shiv Sena-UBT) | |
| Islampur | Nishikant Bhosale Patil (NCP) | Jayant Patil (NCP-SP) |
As the counting progresses, early trends are expected to emerge, but it may take time for a clear picture to form. The final results, revealing which alliance secures the state, are anticipated by evening.