Maharashtra Mumbai Election Results 2024 Highlights: Ajit Pawar elected NCP President in Assembly, Shinde Sena MLA’s to meet in Mumbai today

While the contest was between the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, which together constitute six major parties, in the Maharashtra assembly polls, independent candidates showed their mettle by standing second in 19 constituencies.

(PTI)

After a sweeping victory for the Mahayuti alliance, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday said he was right in pitting his grandson Yugendra Pawar against nephew Ajit Pawar in the Baramati constituency.

“There can be no comparison between Ajit Pawar and Yugendra Pawar,” the NCP supremo said while speaking in Karad. Ajit Pawar won with 1,81,132 votes, defeating his nephew by a margin of 1,00,899 votes.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is likely to back BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis to become the chief minister of Maharashtra after the Mahayuti alliance retained power in a sweeping win in the Assembly elections.

A source said, "Generally, the RSS never interferes with the BJP's decision-making." Yet, at times, it subtly conveys the message by listing its priorities while keeping the larger welfare of the state and country in mind.

A senior RSS/BJP functionary, requesting anonymity, said, "The RSS's concern is that Maharashtra, with such a massive mandate now, should have an able administrator and visionary who can lead the state with a firm hand."

The BJP has emerged as the single largest party in Maharashtra, winning 132 out of 288 seats.

This has led to strong sentiments within the BJP cadre, suggesting that the party should stake a claim for the chief minister's position, with Fadnavis being the most likely candidate for the role. Read more. 

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Sunday said that the Congress will ensure the newly-elected Mahayuti government fulfills the promises it made to the people in its election manifesto and speeches.

Addressing a press conference, the Congress leader said that the Mahayuti government, which banked on the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme for its victory in the state election, should immediately fulfill its promise of raising the monthly allowance for women from ?1,500 to ?2,100.

(With PTI inputs)

Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said that the leaders of the Mahayuti alliance and the BJP will decide the next chief minister of the state.

Mocking state Congress chief Nana Patole's victory in the Sakoli seat by a slim margin of just 200 votes, Bawankule said that the people of Maharashtra have rejected the Congress. He added that Patole should pay attention to some of his own colleagues who have been calling for his resignation as the state party chief.

The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, which includes the Shiv Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the NCP faction led by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, retained power in Maharashtra on Saturday, winning 230 of the 288 assembly seats.

The Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi's hopes of reclaiming power fizzled out, with the opposition alliance securing only 46 seats.

The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 132 seats, followed by the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) with 57, and the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) with 41.

Within the Maha Vikas Aghadi, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) won 10 seats, the Congress secured 16, and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction) managed 20 seats.

Bawankule said Congress's poor performance was due to its 'lies' during the poll campaign, which, he claimed, resulted in no party securing enough seats to stake a claim for the post of Leader of the Opposition in the assembly.

(With PTI inputs)

BJP national joint general secretary Shiv Prakash and Maharashtra unit head Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Sunday met Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at his residence here on Sunday.

The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance on Saturday retained power in Maharashtra, pocketing a whopping 230 of the 288 assembly seats.
The focus has now shifted to BJP leader Fadnavis, the architect of his party's stunning victory as it bagged 132 of the 149 seats it contested in the state.

Political circles are abuzz with reports that the state's second Brahmin to become the CM will don the post for the third time.

On Sunday, BJP leaders Shiv Prakash and Bawankule arrived at Fadnavis' 'Sagar' bungalow in the Malabar Hill area here to meet him.

The tenure of the current state assembly ends on Tuesday, which has also necessitated meetings among leaders of the ruling allies to finalise the name for the chief minister's post.
(With PTI inputs)

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is set to travel to Delhi to engage in discussions regarding the government formation process following the recent Maharashtra Assembly elections, where the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance achieved a significant victory, securing 235 out of 288 seats. Although the final decision on the Chief Minister's position remains undisclosed, Fadnavis is widely regarded as the frontrunner for the role, with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) reportedly favoring him as their preferred candidate for Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Sunday elected party president Ajit Pawar as the leader of the party in the legislative assembly. In a meeting chaired by party state president and Lok Sabha MP Sunit Tatkare, Pawar was appointed as the leader of the legislative party, and his colleague Anil Patil was reappointed as the chief whip.

Patil will oversee the attendance of legislators and address their requests to speak on various topics during the sessions.
The NCP and its Mahayuti allies, BJP and Shiv Sena, managed a stellar performance, clinching 233 out of 288 seats in the state assembly polls. The party bagged 41 out of 59 seats it contested and defeated its rival faction, NCP (SP), in 29 seats.
(With PTI inputs)

"This is a historic victory for our party and obviously, all of us are enthusiastic. We are also thankful to the people of Maharashtra and India for their support," says actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut on Maharashtra election results. 

While every win is celebrated and every loss is lamented, in a democracy, wins and losses are more than just results. They also reflect the norms voters endorse. In the current moment, election results can be termed as a culmination of the aspirations of people, the impact of narratives, the power dynamics of groups, castes and communities and promises of development with dignity. Voters now remember and ruminate, and elections have increasingly shown that results are a net consequence of these factors. The swaying of voters in sudden bursts of emotion is a thing of the past.

Read more

Like elsewhere in the state, BJP and Mahayuti dominated the sugarcane belt of Western Maharashtra, winning as many as 44 seats out of 58. The BJP emerged as the single largest party bagging 24 seats while the Congress, which was banking on its Lok Sabha performance, came up with one of its worst performances, managing to win just one seat.

Congress, the grand old party, has almost been wiped off from its past bastion of Western Maharashtra where the saffron party has turned up as the biggest gainer in the Assembly election.

Read more

Finally settling the churning that began in Maharashtra after the Assembly elections of 2019, Saturday’s results could mark the end of careers of some of the state’s most prominent faces while cementing the future of others.

Here is a look at the six with the most at stake

Chief Minister and Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) leader Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM and NCP leader Ajit Pawar convene meetings for newly elected MLAs to elect their respective Assembly group leader after the BJP-led Mahayuti clinched a landslide victory. The ruling alliance won 235 Assembly seats while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi secured only 49 seats. Fifteen candidates from the ruling Mahayuti breached the 1-lakh victory margin threshold, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Ajit Pawar in their respective strongholds of Kopri-Pachpakhadi and Baramati.

Eknath Shinde Shiv Sena faction's leader Shaina NC says, "On one hand, Mahayuti has bagged a landslide victory because of its development agenda, while on the other hand, MVA has failed to even achieve the seats needed to have a Leader of Opposition. They (MVA) need to introspect." 

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said that former Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud is resposnible for the outocome of Maharashtra Assembly election 2024.

"The results of the Maharashtra Assembly election are shocking and unexpected. No one anticipated such outcomes. PM Modi shifted the entire industry from here to Gujarat, so why would people vote for him?... If anyone is responsible for this, it is (former) DY Chandrachud. History will never forgive him," he said during a press conference in Mumbai. 

The BJP’s landslide victory in Maharashtra has illustrated its ability to course-correct quickly — coming as it does just over five months after the Lok Sabha elections in which its tally dipped — and pull out all stops to retain power, countering the dissatisfaction any government faces.

The arithmetic is also what many in the party hoped for, more of a politically stable government instead of one pushed and pulled by partners. Given the numbers the Assembly elections have thrown up — the BJP has registered the highest strike rate — it will hardly be dependent on its allies Shiv Sena, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) even though it may try and take them along. The BJP may try and get to its side the Independents who won as well as the winners from among the candidates it parked in the Shiv Sena and the NCP. 

Read more

Shiv Sena 57

NCP 41

Shiv Sena (UBT) 20

Congress 16

NCP (SP) 10

Samajwadi Party 2

Jan Surajya Shakti 2

Rashtriya Yuva Swabhimani Party 1

Rashtriya Samaj Paksha 1

AIMIM 1

CPI(M) 1

PWP 1

Rajarshi Shahu Vikas Aghadi 1

Independents 2.

BJP's Atul Bhosale defeated the former CM in Karad South by a margin of 39,355 votes, as per the results announced by the Election Commission on Saturday.

Chavan said that in the 1977 Lok Sabha polls, Congress' tally of 20 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra was the lowest ever.

"This is a shocking defeat and is the worst-ever in the assembly polls," he said, referring to the just concluded state elections.

Chavan said he had spoken to All India Congress Committee in-charge for Maharashtra Ramesh Chennithala, who has left for Delhi to discuss the state results with the Congress leadership.

"I will stay back in Karad for two days to meet people," Chavan said.
(With PTI inputs)

Senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Sunday said his party's defeat was 'shocking' and dubbed it as the 'worst-ever' loss in the state assembly polls.

Talking to PTI, Chavan said the Mahayuti government's Ladki Bahin Yojana, for providing financial assistance to women, clicked with voters in rural areas while polarisation hit the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi's (MVA) prospects in urban parts of the state.
'It is difficult to say whether there was a wave or tampering,' said Chavan, who lost from his Karad South seat.

The results of the November 20 polls to the 288-member state assembly were announced on Saturday.

Several bigwigs from the MVA, including Chavan, were defeated.

The Congress, which contested 101 seats as part of the MVA, posted its worst-ever defeat by managing to win only 16 seats.
Chavan said he was expecting to win his Karad South seat in Satara district by 5,000 to 6,000 votes. But, all MVA nominees in the district lost by nearly a margin of 40,000 votes, he noted.
(WIth PTI inputs)

As many as 21 women candidates emerged winner in the elections to the 288-seat Maharashtra assembly on Saturday, and only one of them is from the Opposition.

The BJP accounted for the highest number of winning women candidates at 14, including ten candidates who were re-elected: Shweta Mahale (Chikli constituency), Meghana Bordikar (Jintur), Devyani Farande (Nashik central), Seema Hiray (Nashik West), Manda Mhatre (Belapur), Manisha Chaudhari (Dahisar), Vidya Thakur (Goregaon), Madhuri Misal (Parvati), Monica Rajale (Shevgaon) and Namita Mundada (Kaij).

The four new women MLAs of the BJP are Shreejaya Chavan (Bhokar), Sulabha Gaikwad (Kalyan East), Sneha Pandit (Vasai), and Anuradha Chavan (Fulambari).

Several candidates emerged victorious in the Maharashtra assembly polls by wafer thin margins, including an AIMIM nominee in Malegaon Central by 162 votes and state Congress chief Nana Patole by 208 votes from Sakoli.

All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) sitting MLA Mufti Mohammad Ismail Abdul Khalique defeated Asif Shaikh Rasheed of the Indian Secular Largest Assembly of Maharashtra by 162 votes in Malegaon Central seat in Nashik district.
Patole defeated BJP's Avinash Brahmankar by 208 votes in Sakoli in Bhandara district, as per the results announced by the Election Commission on Saturday.

BJP's Manda Mhatre won from Belapur in Navi Mumbai by a margin of 377 votes, while Shiv Sena's Sanjay Gaikwad won from Buldhana by 841 votes.

In Karjat-Jamkhed, sitting NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar retained his seat by 1,243 votes, while state minister and NCP candidate Dilip Walse Patil won from Ambegaon constituency with a margin of 1,523 votes.

Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena candidate Tanaji Sawant won from Paranda constituency by 1,509 votes.
State minister and BJP candidate Atul Save managed to win from Aurangabad East constituency by 2,161 votes. 
(With PTI inputs)

The Sena (UBT) managed to secure victories in only 14 seats against Shinde's faction. In Mehkar, Rambhau Kharat overcame Shiv Sena's Sanjay Bhaskar Raymulkar. Nitin Bhikanrao Deshmukh won in Balapur while Shiv Sena's Bhagwan Siraskar came third.In Vikhroli, Sunil Raut defeated Suvarna Karanje; Anant Nar of Sena (UBT) won in Jogeshwari West after facing off against Manisha Waikar. Sunil Prabhu triumphed over Sanjay Nirupam in Dindoshi and Mahesh Sawant beat Sada Sarvankar in Mahim.Aaditya Thackeray retained his Worli seat by defeating Milind Deora, who recently joined the Shiv Sena from Congress. Manoj Jamsutkar also secured victory against Yamini Jadhav in Byculla.

BJP leader Ashok Chavan has termed the Mahayuti's landslide victory in the Maharashtra Assembly election "a huge change".
Chavan, who switched from Congress and joined the BJP earlier this year, slammed his former party, stating that it has no leadership in Maharashtra.

"A huge change has come in Maharashtra. Mahayuti has got a huge mandate. Congress has no leadership and it does not have any leader left. People have understood that if we stay together, there is benefit," Ashok Chavan told ANI.

The ruling Mahayuti alliance won the Maharashtra assembly polls. While the BJP has won 132 seats, Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has won 57 seats, and NCP led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar won 41 seats. The state has 288 assembly seats.
The constituents of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a rude jolt with Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray winning 20 seats, Congress 16, and NCP (SCP) led by Sharad Pawar only 10 seats.
(With ANI inputs)

Eknath Shinde retained most of the sitting MLAs who supported him during his rebellion two years ago when he rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray's leadership in June 2022 and aligned with the BJP along with his backers to become the chief minister.

Here are the key outcomes

CM Shinde himself secured a massive victory in his constituency, Kopri-Pachpakhadi, defeating Kedar Dighe by a margin of 120,000 votes. In the tribal-dominated Palghar, Rajendra Gavit beat Jayendra Dubla and in rural Bhiwandi, where CM Shinde holds influence, Shantaram More defeated Uddhav's candidate, Mahadev Ghatal.

Meanwhile, in Kalyan West, Vishwas Bhoir vanquished Sachin Basare, while in Thane city, Pratap Sarnaik defeated Naresh Manera in Ovla Majiwada. In Sillod, Minister Abdul Sattar defeated Suresh Bankar while in Aurangabad Central Pradeep Jaiswal won against Balasaheb Thorat, and in Aurangabad West: Sanjay Shirsat triumphed over Raju Shinde.
Vilas Bhumre emerged victorious against Dattatrey Gorde in Paithan and Chandrakant Sonawane, replacing his wife Lata Sonawane, defeated Prabhakar Sonawane of Sena (UBT) in Chopda.

The Election Commission announced that the BJP has won 132 seats, the Shiv Sena won 57, while the NCP got 41 seats.

In the MVA, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) candidates won 10 seats, Congress won 16, while Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) won 20 seats.

Ravindra Chavan of Congress defeated Santuk Hambarde (BJP) by 1457 votes in the Nanded Lok Sabha bypoll. Congress lost all six assembly Lok Sabha seats back in June.

The election was necessitated due to the death of Congress MP Vasant Chavan, father of Ravindra Chavan.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday called the Maharashtra poll results, in which the BJP-led Mahayuti put up a stunning performance, completely unexpected and incomprehensible.

Addressing a news conference, Thackeray said he could not believe Maharashtra, which listened to him as “kutumb pramukh” (head of family) during the coronavirus pandemic, would behave this way with him.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising Sena (UBT), Congress and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) suffered a crushing defeat, with its candidates winning or leading in about 50 seats, a far cry from the boasts by many of its senior leaders that the combine will trounce the Mahayuti.

Round up of all six North Mumbai seats: 

? Magathane: Prakash Surve (Shiv Sena - Mahayuti) won by a margin of 58,164 votes. 

? Dahisar: Manisha Chaudhuri (BJP - Mahayuti) won by 44,329 votes. 

? Borivali: Sanjay Upadhyay (BJP - Mahayuti) won by 1,00,257 votes. 

? Kandivali (East): Atul Bhatkhalkar (BJP - Mahayuti) won by 83,593 votes. 

? Charkop: Yogesh Sagar (BJP - Mahayuti) won by 91,154 votes. 

? Malad (West) : Aslam Shaikh (Congress - Maha Vikas Aghadi) won by 6,096 votes.

As Mahayuti headed for a landslide victory in Maharashtra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the people of Maharashtra for giving 'a historic mandate' to the NDA alliance.

He said, "Heartfelt gratitude to my sisters and brothers of Maharashtra, especially the youth and women of the state, for a historic mandate to the NDA. This affection and warmth is unparalleled. I assure the people that our Alliance will keep working for Maharashtra’s progress. Jai Maharashtra!"

He further added: "NDA’s pro-people efforts resonate all over! I thank people across various states for blessing NDA candidates in the various by-polls held. We will leave no stone unturned in fulfilling their dreams and aspirations."

Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Varun Sardesai won Vandre (Bandra) East constituency by over 11,365 votes, defeating Zeeshan Siddique, sitting MLA of NCP (Ajit Pawar). Sardesai, nephew of Uddhav Thackeray, was contesting his debut assembly election from the seat where Thackeray's residence, Matoshree, is located.

After the eighteenth round, in Bandra (West) constituency, BJP's Mumbai unit chief Ashish Shelar wins and defeats Asif Zakaria of Congress. 

After the eighteenth round, in Bandra (West) constituency, BJP's Mumbai unit chief Ashish Shelar leads by 22,774 votes against Asif Zakaria of Congress. Last two rounds to go

As there is only one more round of vote counting is left in Bandra East, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Varun Sardesai leads by 9,805 votes. NCP MLA Zeeshan Siddique has gained 44,546 votes while Trupti Sawant of MNS has won 15, 936 votes. 

As NDA makes major gains in Maharashtra Assembly polls, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told PTI, "The unprecedented victory that people of Maharashtra have given us establishes the fact that Maharashtra is with PM Modi. Realising the PM's slogan of 'Ek Hain Toh Safe Hain', people from all walks of life in Maharashtra have voted in unity and because of that, we have got this victory. I thank our Ladli sisters, Ladle brothers, Ladle farmers and everyone. Moreover, the fake narrative created in Lok Sabha polls and the powers which were spreading that fake narrative here, all the national forces defeated that fake narrative." 

In Dindoshi, after 12 rounds of vote counting, former Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Nirupam of Shinde Sena is leading by 3,547 as Sunil Waman Prabhu of Shiv Sena (UBT) is trailing, as per ECI data.

Amdi buzz over Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis being vouched for Chief Minister's post, the Deputy CM Fadnavis told media that there is no row over it and Mahayuti leaders will decide on the matter.

In Dharavi, as nineteenth round of vote counting is underway, Congress candidate Dr Gaikwad Jyoti Eknath is leading by 23,459 votes while Shiv Sena candidate Rajesh Khandare trails, as per ECI.

NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) MLA Zeeshan Siddique, who is trailing in Bandra East says he accepts people's mandate and will ponder over what went wrong. Siddique adds that he had a good fight and congratulated Varun Sardesai over his lead. He added that this was the first election after his father Baba Siddique passed away and fought the election for the first time without him. The incumbent MLA said he had been serving as MLA for five years, but something wrong.

After 15th round of vote counting in Bhandup West, Ashok Dharamaraj Patil of Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) is leading by 1,832 votes while Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Ramesh Gajanan Korgaonkar trails, as per ECI.

After fifteenth round of vote counting in Mumbai's Bandra East, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Varun Sardesai leads by 7,926 votes against incumbent NCP MLA Zeeshan Siddique. Sardesai has won 43,963 votes while Zeeshan Siddique has bagged 36,047 votes and Trupti Sawant of MNS has won 13,979 votes.

BJP candidate Mangal Prabhat Lodha declared winner in Malabar Hill constituency

With six more rounds to go for vote counting, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Varun Sardesai leads by 7,013 votes against incumbent NCP MLA Zeeshan Siddique. So far, Sardesai has got 37913  votes, Zeeshan Siddique bagged 30,900 votes and Trupti Sawant of MNS gained 13286 votes. So far, total votes counted stands at 94,634 of 1.36 lakh votes

BJP candidate Kalidas Kolambkar has won from Wadala.

After tenth round of vote counting, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray's son Aaditya Thackeray's lead has spiked to 3,852 votes and Milind Deora is trailing.

In North Mumbai, all candidates from Mahayuti alliance are leading as of now. The current tally is as follows :- 

Magathane: Prakash Surve (Shiv Sena - Shinde) leading by 21,757 votes after 7 rounds.

Dahisar: Manisha Chaudhuri (BJP) leading by 51,186 votes after eleven rounds. 

Borivali: Sanjay Upadhyay (BJP) leading by 59,831 votes after 14 rounds. 

Kandivali (East) : Atul Bhatkhalkar (BJP) leading by 46,065 votes. 

Charkop : Yogesh Sagar (BJP) leading by 44,788 votes after 13 rounds. 

Malad (West) : Vinod Shelar (BJP) leading by 7,450 votes after nine rounds.

As Mahayuti gains major lead in Maharashtra Assembly election, Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde addressed media saying, "I thank the voters of Maharashtra because this is a landslide victory. I had said that Mahayuti will get a thumping majority and that's why I thank Ladli Bahina, farmers, brothers, senior citizens... all sections of the society. People have approved the work done by the Mahayuti in the last 2.5 years." 

After the tenth round of vote counting in Mumbai's Bandra East constituency, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Varun Sardesai leads by 5859 votes against incumbent MLA Zeeshan Siddique of NCP (Ajit Pawar). Sardesai has got 28802 votes while Zeeshan Siddique bagged 22943 and Trupti Sawant of MNS secured 11,873 votes. So far 73, 390 votes out of 1.36 lakh have been counted 

As per the latest figures trickling in from Maharashtra, Mahayuti is leading in 221, Maha Vikas Agadhi is leading in 56 seats while others parties have managed to forge a lead in 11 seats. With the BJP projecting a major lead in the polls, there has been talks over the CM post, BJP spokesperson said Devendra Fadnavis might reclaim the Chief Minister's post while Shiv Sena spokesperson Sheetal Mhatare suggested Eknath Shinde should continue as CM.

After ninth round of vote counting, Shiv Sena's Varun Sardesai continues to maintain lead by 5,694 votes against incumbent NCP MLA Zeeshan Siddique. As of now,Sardesai has secured 26,018 votes Zeeshan Siddique has gained 20,334 and Trupti Sawant of MNS has bagged 10,831 votes.

After eight rounds of vote counting in the Bhandup (West) constituency, Ramesh Korgaonkar of Shiv Sena (UBT) leads by 700 votes.

Here are the number of votes candidates have gained so far:

Ashok Patil (Shiv Sena): 28,462
Ramesh Korgaonkar (Shiv Sena UBT): 29,137
Shirish Sawant (MNS): 6,584

In Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar constituency, Nawab Malik just managed to get 4,214 votes in 9th round of vote counting. Malik is trailing and is on fourth place against candidate Abu Azmi from Samajwadi Party, who has managed to get 30,734 votes already. Malik contested as NCP (Ajit Pawar) candidate.

While Aaditya Thackeray trailed in the fifth round of vote counting by nearly 600 votes, in the eighth round, he has wrested back his lead by 1,067 votes. 

In Mahim, MNS chief Raj Thackeray's son Amit Raj Thackeray trails behind Mahesh Baliram Sawant Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate by 3,336 votes, as per ECI data.

With the Mahayuti heading for a landslide victory in Maharashtra Saturday, BJP spokesperson Pravin Darekar said Devendra Fadnavis is likely to be the next chief minister of the state.

''This result has taken us by surprise. We knew we would win but never expected such an overwhelming result. I think Devendra Fadnavis is likely to be the chief minister,'' Darekar told reporters in Mumbai. The BJP was leading in 125 seats of the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly as votes were being counted. It won 105 seats in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections.

Shiv Sena spokesperson Sheetal Mhtare said Mahayuti leaders will decide who will be the chief minister “We think Eknath Shinde should remain the chief minister,” she said.

After eight rounds of vote counting in Malabar Hill, Mangal Prabhat Lodha of BJP has gained lead by 2,2701 votes and Bherulal Choudhary of Shiv Sena (UBT) trails, as per ECI data.

After six rounds of vote counting in Worli, Aditya Thackeray leads now by 650 votes against Milind Deora.

In Bandup West, after five rounds of vote counting, Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Ramesh Gajanan Koranokar is leading by 1,822 while Shiv Sena (Shinde) candidate Ashok Dharmaraj Patil, MNS candidate Shirish Gunwant Sawant are trailing, as per the projections by Election Commission of India.

Based on the early trends in Maharashtra, the BJP has achieved an impressive success rate of 85%, with 125 out of its 148 candidates on track to win.

The Shiv Sena follows with a solid 73% success rate, as 58 of its 80 candidates are leading. Meanwhile, the NCP boasts a strong 80% strike rate, with 42 of its 53 candidates in the lead.

Zeeshan Shaikh reports

While NDA leads in 221 seats and MVA leads in 55 seats in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray's son Aaditya Thackeray continued to maintain lead by gaining 14,376 votes while Milind Deora of Shinde Sena has bagged 13,898 votes in Worli.