New Delhi: The counting of votes for the Maharashtra assembly elections began at 8am on Saturday. The state, which held single-phase voting on 20 November, is witnessing a heated contest between the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), making it a crucial political showdown for both sides.
The Mahayuti alliance—comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP—is confident of retaining power, buoyed by exit polls suggesting a favourable outcome. Meanwhile, the MVA—comprising Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP)—is striving to replicate its success from the recent Lok Sabha elections, where it won 31 of 48 seats.
Independents: The potential spoilers
A key dynamic in this election is the significant presence of independent and rebel candidates. Despite efforts by both alliances to address dissent, over 2,000 independents remain in the fray, representing nearly 50% of all contestants. Their impact could prove decisive in shaping outcomes in multiple constituencies.
Key constituencies to watch
While all 288 constituencies are seeing multi-cornered contests, these high-profile battles have garnered special attention:
Kopri-Pachpakhadi: Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is contesting against Kedar Dighe of Shiv Sena (UBT).
Nagpur South West: Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of BJP is pitted against Congress’s Prafulla Gudadhe-Patil.
| Constituency | Winner | Loser |
| Kopri-Pachpakhadi | ||
| Nagpur South West |
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 vote counting unfolds, early trends are expected to offer insights into the electoral trajectory. However, the final results—revealing which alliance will claim power—are anticipated by evening.
