Maharashtra Election Results 2024 Highlights: After Mahayuti’s victory, Maharashtra awaits next CM – Fadnavis or Shinde?

The Vadgaonsheri constituency in Pune city continued with the trend of getting a new legislator while Hadapsar broke the trend by re-electing the incumbent MLA in the recently concluded Maharashtra Assembly elections.   
Six of the eight sitting legislators, including five from the BJP, retained their seat. Sitting NCP MLA Chetan Tupe was re-elected from Hadapsar assembly constituency. 

Faced with crushing defeat, the Maharashtra unit of the Congress is likely to witness the calls for a change in leadership. 

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Monday rushed to Delhi to explain the reasons behind the party's defeat to the party president. Amid speculations of his resignation, Patole said that he has not resigned yet.

According to sources within the Congress, the humiliating defeat in the assembly polls where it has touched the lowest number ever since Maharashtra's formation has not been taken lightly by the party high command who have sought answers.

Patole, who was confident of his party winning the elections, is now trying to quell the fire in Delhi. The party managed to win only 16 out of 101 assembly seats it contested. Patole himself managed to scrape through to victory in Sakoli by just over 200 votes.

Shiv Sainiks hold prayer meets in Thane for Shinde's return as CM Thane, Nov 25 (PTI) Several Shiv Sainiks organised prayer meets in temples in Thane to ensure Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde gets a second term on the top post.

The Mahayuti, comprising Shinde's Shiv Sena, BJP and Ajit Pawar-led NCP swept the November 20 assembly polls, results of which were announced on November 23.

However, the alliance is yet to zero in on who will be chief minister, with current Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis being the frontrunner due to the 132 seats won by the BJP, which is just 12 short of the halfway mark in the 288-member assembly. The Shiv Sena won 57, while Pawar's NCP got 41seats.

Prayers were held in Siddhi Vinayak Temple in Kashish Park locality, with many women claiming the Mahayuti sweep was due to the CM's connect with the masses, his accessibility and the Ladki Bahin Yojana. Puja was also held at Daulat Nagar in Thane East, Shiv Sena functionaries said.

THE AJIT Pawar-led NCP will be happy with the Mahayuti’s decision to go with Devendra Fadnavis as the new chief minister of the coalition government, having already indicated him as its preferred choice over Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde.

Ajit Pawar and Fadnavis share a good equation, going back to the time when the two came together in 2019 to form a government, though that lasted less than 80 hours after the NCP leader developed cold feet.

The NCP realises that having Fadnavis as CM places the party largely on a par with the Sena in the Mahayuti equation. With 132 seats, the BJP is far ahead, and both the Sena (57 seats) and NCP (41) distant second. Besides, like Shinde, Ajit has proved his worth in the polls by besting his former mentor in control of their parties. 

BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis is all set to take charge as Maharashtra Chief Minister, with Eknath Shinde likely to become Deputy CM along with Ajit Pawar.

The BJP’s top leadership on Monday cleared Fadnavis’s name and the proposal also received the approval of alliance partners Shiv Sena led by Shinde and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) of Pawar, according to two highly placed sources in the BJP. “Fadnavis’s name has been approved for CM by the BJP leadership,” said a BJP insider. Other sources in the Mahayuti said, “Apart from Fadnavis as CM, both the Shiv Sena and NCP will have one deputy CM each.”

However, a senior Shiv Sena source said, “There has been no consultation with us on making Fadnavis the CM and our party has not agreed on any name for CM yet.”

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar dismissed the speculation of CM rotation theory 2:2:1 as "baseless."

Elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs made a beeline to greet Devendra Fadnavis at his official residence Sagar Bungalow on Monday.

NCPs Amol Mitkari said, "We will be happy to have Devendra Fadnavis as CM." Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) Anil Patil echoed the same sentiment, "Why should we have any objection to BJP Fadnavis CM?" 

Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Ram Shinde who lost to NCP (SP)'s Rohit Pawar blamed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar for not helping him in the state Assembly elections 2024.

Shinde claimed that alliance partner NCP worked against him in Karjat-Jamkhed, where Rohit Pawar won by 1,243 votes.

NCP (SP) candidate Rohit Pawar met Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar when both were at Preeti Sangam in Karhad.

Rohit Pawar bowed down to take Ajit's blessings. Sharad Pawar’s grandnephew Rohit Pawar, who won the Karjat-Jamkhed seat by 1,243 votes, defeated the BJP’s Ram Shinde for the second consecutive time. 

Rohit had led Supriya Sule’s Lok Sabha poll campaign against Sunetra Pawar, wife of Ajit Pawar, who was at the forefront of the Mahayuti’s efforts to defeat Rohit, NCP (SP) leaders said.

Even as the NCP implied it would have no objection to Devendra Fadnavis becoming the Maharashtra chief minister, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said Monday the decision regarding who should be the state’s CM would be taken by the three key allies of the Mahayuti.

Fadnavis, who is likely to be backed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) this time around, served as the chief minister of Maharashtra from 2014 to 2019. 

“I have been elected as the legislature party leader of the NCP. All powers have been given to me… Eknath Shinde was also yesterday elected as the legislature party leader. Now, the BJP must have decided who should be elected its leader. After that, the three of us will hold a meeting and will also discuss it with our colleagues. We will provide a strong and stable government,” Ajit Pawar said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, speaking to reporters on Monday, asked to conduct the Assembly elections in the state once again through paper ballots, contesting the results of the elections that were declared last week.

"...EVM has been a big issue in this election, therefore, this time we say that let this result be there but, in Maharashtra, conduct this election once more through paper ballots and then show us that the results are same... all these things that have happened in Maharashtra, Mr (DY) Chandrachud is responsible," he told news agency ANI.

Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule convened the party's poll management committee meeting on Monday.

After the BJP-led Mahayuti swept back to power in Maharashtra, a big question emerged for the alliance members — who should be the next Chief Minister? While the BJP has maintained a studious silence, with calls for Devendra Fadavis as CM from within the party, its partner Shiv Sena has not given up hope of Eknath Shinde being retained as the CM.

“Shiv Sena MLAs feel Shinde should continue in the post because under his leadership the Mahayuti worked very well and performed spectacularly in polls,” party leader Deepak Kesarkar told news agency PTI.

The three alliance partners of Mahayuti, BJP, NCP and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena have said they shall jointly discuss on who shall be the next Maharashtra Chief Minister.

Shiv Sena leaders announced Eknath Shinde as the party's group leader on Sunday. Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant moved the resolution electing Shinde during the party meeting. All resolutions were passed unanimously.

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar met senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan in Karad city in Maharashtra's Satara district on Sunday, a day after the Maha Vikas Aghadi was routed in the assembly elections.

Details regarding the venue of the meeting and discussions are not known. Former chief minister Chavan was defeated from the home turf of Karad South constituency by BJP nominee Atul Bhosale. NCP (SP) leader Balasaheb Patil, who lost from the Karad North constituency, was also present at the meeting with Pawar and Chavan.

With PTI inputs

There is unrest in the Maha Vikas Aghadi camp and its five to six MLAs might join the ruling Mahayuti in the next few months, claimed NCP chief whip Anil Patil, who has retained his Amalner assembly seat, on Sunday.

“There is tremendous unrest among some NCP (SP), Congress and Sena (UBT) MLAs who have been re-elected. Those having good relations with us have expressed concerns over MVA's massive defeat,” Patil told a Marathi news. 

If one wants development works in his constituency, it is good to be in power, said the legislator from Ajit Pawar's party. “The MVA MLAs feel their future is uncertain. It shouldn't be a surprise if five to six MLAs cross over to the Mahayuti in the next four months,” he said.

With PTI inputs

Senior NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule said on Sunday that her party, which won 10 seats in the Maharashtra assembly elections, respects people's mandate and pledged to work towards a capable, inclusive and progressive state.

In a statement on X, the Baramati MP promised to rebuild their party and said it would move forward with determination despite its dismal show. Her party and its Maha Vikas Aghadi allies Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) collectively bagged only 46 of the state's 288 assembly seats.

“We respect and humbly accept the verdict of the people in the assembly elections. This result is a moment for deep reflection and renewal. We will introspect, learn, and rebuild with honesty, hard work, and an unshakable commitment to the values we stand for,” Sule wrote.

With PTI inputs

Given the political realignments in Maharashtra leading up to the Assembly polls, there was much talk about the role rebels would play in influencing the electoral outcome and tallies of the ruling Mahayuti and opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

Ultimately, only two of the 50 rebels in the fray across the state managed to win, though they may have influenced results in 11 other seats. While the Mahayuti (comprising the BJP, Ajit Pawar-led NCP and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena) lost seven seats where its rebels were present, the MVA (comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena-UBT of Uddhav Thackeray and NCP-SP) lost four such constituencies.

The Mahayuti managed to tide over its poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls in north Maharashtra on the back of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'ek hai toh safe hai' slogan and some key initiatives targeting farmers to win 44 of 47 seats in the assembly elections.

Implementation of the Nilwande dam project and announcement of river linking plans like the Nar-Par project as well as moves to win back the support of onion farmers paid rich dividends in Nashik, Dhule, Ahilyanagar, Jalgaon, and Nandurbar districts, a BJP functionary said. The losses in the Lok Sabha polls, including that of then Union minister Bharti Pawar, led to the Mahayuti working diligently and unitedly to win back the confidence of people, he added.

"We won 44 of 47 seats in Nashik, Dhule, Ahilyanagar, Jalgaon, and Nandurbar districts. The Mahayuti won every seat in Jalgaon and Dhule districts, as well as 14 out of 15 seats in Nashik and 11 out of 12 in Ahilyanagar," he said. The Congress won in Shrirampur and Navapur seats, while AIMIM retained Malegaon Central seat in Nashik.

Key figures from Mahayuti, including BJP's Girish Mahajan and Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, along with Shiv Sena's Dada Bhuse, worked diligently to energise the grassroot structure through regular communication with local units for timely feedback, he said.

"In response to discontent among onion growers, particularly in Nashik and Ahilyanagar, the Central government lifted the minimum export price (MEP) on onions and reduced export duty from 40 per cent to 20 per cent. This decision enabled farmers to secure competitive prices for their produce, further bolstering the alliance's support,' he said.

Additionally, a subtle campaign aimed at reminding traditional Mahayuti voters of the bloc voting behaviour seen in Malegaon Central during the Lok Sabha elections also played a crucial role in galvanising support, he said.

With PTI inputs

“This is for the first time that he has not faced the media on an election result day,” a senior colleague of Pawar told The Indian Express, hinting that the party was reeling from shock about the results. A jubilant Ajit Pawar, however, refused to comment, saying this was not the time to talk about his win. When asked if there is a possibility of a merger between the two sides, Ajit said, “Right now, I have several issues of mine to be sorted out. Let me do that first. After that, I will look into other issues.”

When Ajit chose to join hands with the BJP last year, it split the party. At a time when several MLAs were leaving his side and he was asked who would stand by him, Pawar raised his finger indicating he would stand alone if needed. Throughout his political career, the veteran faced several political adversities. After the Lok Sabha polls results, all eyes were set on him and there was an expectation of a repeat in the Assembly polls. But that did not come to pass. Read more

The election is over, and now the verdict must be read. It isn’t quite as simple or straightforward an exercise as it might seem — even when, as it happened in Maharashtra, the winner wins decisively and the loser loses comprehensively.

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Sunday refuted talk of his stir not being a factor in the Maharashtra assembly polls, which were swept by the Mahayuti comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP.

The Mahayuti won 40 out of 46 seats in the Marathwada region, including all five in Jalna, the epicentre of Jarange's stir for quota for the Maratha community in jobs and education. Poll observers attributed the success to schemes like ‘Ladki Bahin' and a robust campaign.

The ruling alliance's poor show in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year was largely credited to Jarange's opposition, especially his strident remarks against Deputy Chief Minister and BJP stalwart Devendra Fadnavis.

“How can one say the Jarange factor failed in the assembly polls when I did not contest nor did I endorse anybody? I liberated the Maratha community from the clutches of these political parties. The community was free to vote as per its choice. My focus is on empowering the Marathas,” he said putting up a brave front.

With PTI inputs

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday said the INDIA alliance will review the reasons behind its massive defeat in the Maharashtra assembly polls.

The opposition Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) of Sharad Pawar managed to win just 16, 20 and 10 seats, respectively, in the 288-member assembly, while the BJP bagged 132 along with 57 for Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and 41 for NCP.

Yadav and his father Lalu Prasad Yadav offered prayers at Peetambara Peeth, a famous 'Shakti Peeth' of the country, here.

"We have won in Jharkhand. We will review the reasons behind Maharashtra defeat. But I can say with confidence that we will win the 2025 Bihar elections," he told reporters.

With PTI inputs

Union Minister & RPI-Athawale President, Ramdas Athawale says, “When Eknath Shinde’s party came into power, RPI was promised a ministerial position. But that didn’t pan out and we did not have a seat for 2.5 years."

"This time, Mahayuti received a huge number of votes from the Dalit and the Buddhist community, which played a crucial role in their win in Maharashtra. That is why I demand that RPI should get at least one ministerial position and one MLC, which has also been promised to us by Devendra Fadnavis," said Athawale. 

The only woman BJP candidate for Assembly elections in the city, Madhuri Misal, managed to bag a party ticket from Parvati constituency despite many claimants for it, and win the seat with a big margin by defeating Ashwini Kadam of NCP (SP) on Saturday. The now four-time MLA, also the only woman who won elections in Pune district, speaks to Ajay Jadhav about her performance and the course ahead.

It is the trust voters showed in me and I am thankful. I have worked for them for so many years, first as corporator, then as legislator for three terms. That they elected me with a big margin means I have delivered as per their expectations.Read more

The Deputy Election Commissioner of Election Commission of India Hirdesh Kumar and Chief Electoral Officer, Maharashtra State S. Chockalingam called on Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan and presented the copies of the Gazette containing names of members elected to the Legislative Assembly of Maharashtra and ECI's Notification at Raj Bhavan Mumbai on Sunday (24 Nov).

The results of General Elections to Maharashtra Legislative Assembly were declared on 23rd November. The names of elected candidates of the election were published in Maharashtra Government State Gazette vide Election Commission of India’s Notification dated 24th November, 2024. This was done as per the provisions contained in Section 73 of the Representation of People Act, 1951. 

After Mahayuti's landslide victory in the Assembly elections, NCP(SP) leader Sharad Pawar said that he has never had such election experinece after being a part of politics for so many years. "We have been in public life for many years, we have never had such an experience, but now that we have, we will think about it, understand why it happened and will go in front of the people with a new enthusiasm," said the politician. 

"I have travelled to different districts of the state during election campaigning, whether it is my party, Shiv Sena (UBT) or Congress, everyone made collective efforts, but the result did not match the efforts we made, there was no lack of coordination anywhere," said Sharad Pawar. 

Speaking at Karad on Sunday, NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar said he was right in pitting his grandson Yugendra Pawar against his nephew Ajit Pawar in the Baramati constituency. “There can be no comparison between Ajit Pawar and Yugendra Pawar,” added the NCP supremo. 

Ajit Pawar won with 1,81,132 votes against his nephew who was 1,00,899 behind him. 

With PTI inputs

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.”

Speaking at Karad, NCP(SP) Supremo, Sharad Pawar said on Sunday, since MVA was confident of its win after the Lok Sabha elections mandate, the results of the Assembly elections were not anticapted. "The Maharashtra assembly poll results not on expected lines. will study reasons and go to people," said the politician who did not stand this time in Baramati.

"This is people's decision, women's participation in large numbers could be reason for Mahayuti sweep in Maharashtra polls. We (MVA) were more confident after Lok Sabha results. It seems we needed to work more. No qualms in accepting Ajit Pawar got more seats in Maharashtra polls, but everyone knows who is the NCP founder," said Sharad Pawar. 

With PTI inputs

The Maharashtra and bypoll victories have shown that the core has stood by the BJP, which despite its reduced Lok Sabha tally can draw confidence vis-a-vis the Opposition and its allies. That delimitation is a possibility in the near future and all four states are likely to see their share of seats rising is also a reason to cheer for the BJP.

In Maharashtra, the BJP had an almost 90% strike rate, winning 132 of the 149 seats it contested. Powered by the Shiv Sena and NCP tallies of 57 and 41, the Mahayuti won 232 of the state’s 288 seats.Read more

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

"All the winning candidate MLAs of Nationalist Congress Party were congratulated in the organized meeting. As a public representative, we will always be committed to public service," Pawar wrote in a post on X. 

"Also, they all decided together to take their respective constituencies and the state forward on the path of development," he added.

While talking to ANI, NCP(SP) leader Jitendra Awhad said, "... The results are unexpected. We have to accept the results but it is difficult because the ground reality was completely different..."

Meanwhile, Jamner Assembly constituency winning candidate and BJP leader Girish Mahajan says, " Voters gave us such a result for Mahayuti which was above our expectations...our opinion is that the strike rate of BJP is 89%, our 132 MLAs were elected so all the BJP workers and leaders feel that CM should be from BJP, that it should be Devendra Fadnavis. But still, our high command will take the decision...MVA has gone into coma, they don't know what to do...they can't even make an opposition leader...this has happened for first time in the history of Maharashtra, where there won't be any leader of opposition"

In an interview with ANI, Deepak Mankar, NCP Pune President, says, ' The workers of NCP wish that if 'dada' (Ajit Pawar) becomes the Chief Minister, then Maharashtra will get a good direction. Dada has the capacity to do work...we know the kind of work he did in Maharashtra as deputy CM in the last 2.5 years...let's see...Mahayuti is taking everyone along...PM Modi and Amit Shah will take the decision, everyone will sit together. Fadnavis, Shinde and dada (Ajit Pawar) three of them are capable...'

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

Addressing a press conference here, the Congress leader said the Mahayuti, 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 Rs 1,500 to 2,100. Patole himself won by 208 votes, one of the lowest margins, from the Sakoli assembly constituency in Bhandara district.

The Congress leader said the assembly election results were unexpected for the opposition Maha Vikas Agahdi (MVA) and the people of Maharashtra. He said, "People are discussing how the Mahayuti could manage such a big win. They are confused. We do not want to comment or talk about EVMs, and it is the need of the hour to find out how it all happened, and accordingly, the Congress take necessary steps." He said the All India Congress Committee (AICC) will conduct an inquiry into the outcome of the election and study what went wrong.

He also asked the Mahayuti alliance to fulfil its promises of supplying 24-hour electricity to farmers, Rs 6,000 MSP for soyabean, Rs 9,000 for cotton and a Rs 1,000 bonus to paddy cultivators. "We will ensure that the Mahayuti government fulfils the promises it made to farmers during the elections," Patole said. The Congress leader said the party would also ensure the government gives the jobs promised to the youth and makes Maharashtra corruption-free.

With PTI inputs

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Sunday said leaders of the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the BJP leadership will decide who will be the next chief minister of the state.Addressing a press conference, Bawankule also said the people of Maharashtra have 'rejected' the Congress,and pointed to its state unit chief Nana Patole who won by a margin of just around 200 votes in Sakoli seat.

To a question on the state's next chief minister, he said the 'decision would be taken by the Mahayuti leaders and the BJP's parliamentary board.' The selection process would be in-line with the alliance's plans for governance, he added. Bawankule further said that Patole should pay heed to some of his own colleagues who have been seeking his resignation as the state party chief.'The mandate of the people in this assembly election is against Congress. Having no leader of opposition in the Maharashtra legislative assembly is the karma of Congress,' Bawankule said.

Notably, the Mahayuti's landslide in Maharashtra will leave the state assembly without a leader of opposition as no party outside the ruling alliance has been able to get the mandatory minimum 29 seats.'The Congress succeeded in fooling the people during the Lok Sabha campaign, but it failed to repeat that success in this assembly election,' he said.Targeting Patole, he said the Congress leader was dreaming of becoming the chief minister, but he has just somehow managed to win his seat with the help of postal votes.'If he does not learn a lesson from this outcome, he may not be there in the House after the next assembly poll,' Bawankule said. Bawankule also said the BJP plans to launch a major membership drive in Maharashtra.'Our goal is to enroll 1.51 crore new primary members,' the BJP leader said, signalling a fresh push to expand the party base ahead of future elections.

With PTI inputs

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole, the NCP’s Dilip Walse-Patil, Mahesh Sawant of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) candidate Rohit Pawar were among the 10-odd candidates who won the Assembly elections by narrow margins.

However, the lowest margin of victory in the state was registered in Malegaon Central, where the AIMIM’s Mufti Mohammad Ismail Abdul Khalique retained the seat by defeating Asif Sheikh Rashid, candidate of the ISLAM party, by just 162 seats.

More than five months of bold course-correction measures coupled with populist programmes to reach targeted segments — farmers, women, and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) — paid off for the Mahayuti alliance of the BJP, Shiv Sena, and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Saturday as it turned things around after the Lok Sabha election setback. In the Lok Sabha polls, it had come second to the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), winning only 17 of the state’s 48 Lok Sabha seats.

The BJP itself made an impressive march by crossing the century mark — with wins in 132 seats — propelling the Mahayuti’s sweep. The extent of the BJP’s win shows that it is likely to stake a claim to the CM’s chair.

What also helped the BJP campaign was its ability to resolve differences with the RSS, which campaigned extensively for it and the ruling alliance. The BJP also pushed its hardline Hindutva message — illustrated by slogans such as “ek hain toh safe hain (together we are safe)” and “batenge toh katenge (divided we fall)” — that worked, uniting and energising its vote base, while negating the MVA’s DMK strategy or the attempt to consolidate Dalits, Muslims, and Kunbis, one of the largest OBC groups in the state. Read more

“I am the Abhimanyu of the modern era. I know how to break the Chakravyuha.” When Devendra Gangadhar Fadnavis made this bold assertion post the BJP’s poor Lok Sabha performance in Maharashtra, it was seen as the kind of bravado the Deputy Chief Minister has come to be known for.

Today, few would grudge Fadnavis’s claim of having emerged standing at the end of a Mahabharat, as the BJP put the Lok Sabha setback in Maharashtra behind it to win its most Assembly seats in the state.

Since he burst onto the national stage after being named by the BJP as the Chief Minister when it formed the government in 2014 along with the united Shiv Sena, the 54-year-old has been at the heart of every twist and turn in the state’s politics. The diminishing of the Sena and NCP in Maharashtra were also seen as helped along by Fadnavis. Read more

In the 38 Maharashtra seats where Muslims make up more than 20% of the population, the BJP raised its tally to 14 this time, up from 11 in 2019. The Congress showed the biggest slide, going down from 11 seats five years ago to only five this time.

The combined Mahayuti’s tally, of 22, was also ahead of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)’s 13 in these 38 seats. While Mahayuti members Shiv Sena and NCP won six and two seats each, on the MVA side, the Sena (UBT) got six seats and the NCP (SP) two.

Of the three remaining seats, the Samajwadi Party won Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar and Bhiwandi East, while the AIMIM got Malegaon Central.

While the Congress won Mumbadevi, Akola West, Dharavi, Malad West, and Latur City, the BJP took Bhiwandi West, Aurangabad West, Andheri West, Akot, Vandre West, Solapur Central, Nagpur Central, Dhule, Sion Koliwada, Karanja, Pune Cantonment, Raver, Washim, and Malkapur. Read more

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.

The aspirations of the people and how the state responds to them through policies has been a major threshold for every election since the last Madhya Pradesh assembly polls. The slight shift of women voters that was seen in MP has been transformed into a strong message to any party that seeks to come to power: They cannot ignore the aspirations of people at the periphery, especially women. The Maharashtra results are showing that while the Ladki Bahin Yojana has struck the same chord as the Laadli Behna scheme did in MP, and the Haryana results showed the emergence of women voters as a bloc cutting across caste and communal lines. That the tight Maha Vikas Aghadi vs Mahayuti contest tilted stupendously in favour of the latter can be majorly attributed to women and Dalit voters who defied the narrative of trust deficit and voted emphatically for the ruling alliance. Read more

A day after Mahayuti alliance clinched landslide victory in Maharashtra Assembly Elections, Chief Minister and Shinde Sena leader Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister, NCP leader Ajit Pawar have called for separate meetings with newly elected MLAs of their respective parties.NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) and Shinde Sena leaders will be elected during the meetings.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut responded to the MVA's defeat in Maharashtra Assembly elections on Sunday and said, "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 also said the SC verdict on Shiv Sena split was late. Raut made the remarks on former Chief Justice of India CY Chandrachud in the backdrop of 2023 Supreme Court verdict on the split in Shiv Sena. The apex court had made strong observations about the role of the then Governor of Maharashtra and the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. The court, however, refrained from interfering with the proceedings related to disqualifying 16 MLAs, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

With PTI inputs

After Opposition suffered a humiliating defeat in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, senior Congress leader and former CM Prithviraj Chavan said his party's defeat was "shocking" and dubbed it as the "worst-ever" loss in the state assembly polls. Chavan, who was defeated in Karad South Seat said, "It is difficult to say whether there was a wave or tampering."

He added that 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. Regarding his defeat, 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 said. BJP candidate Atul Bhosale won the Karad South seat by a margin of 39,355 votes, as per the results announced by the ECI. Chavan spoke to All India Congress Committee in-charge for Maharashtra Ramesh Chennithala and will stay back in Karad for two days to meet people.

The grand old party suffered a major loss in the election by managing to win only 16 seats. 

With PTI inputs

Now, take a look at which party stands where in terms of number of seats

BJP 132
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

In the Maharashtra Assembly polls, many candidates had thin margins including an AIMIM nominee in Malegaon Central by 162 votes and Congress chief Nana Patole won by 208 votes from Sakoli. 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.

With PTI inputs

After being reduced to single digits in the Lok Sabha elections just five months back, the BJP-led Mahayuti staged a resounding comeback winning 231 of the total 288 seats in the Assembly polls in Maharashtra, the state with the highest GDP in the country.

Coming as it does on the back of a surprise win in Haryana in October, it was the scale of BJP’s victory that surprised many even within the alliance. Bagging 133 seats of the total 148 it contested, the victory enveloped the entire state, from Vidarbha to Konkan and Marathwada, and overcame multiple challenges — from farmer distress and anger over Maratha reservation to rising prices and unemployment.

With a strike rate of almost 90 per cent, the BJP is just 12 seats away from crossing the majority mark on its own, and many within the party and even amongst its allies — Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) and NCP (Ajit Pawar) — now feel the Chief Minister’s post may go to the BJP. But BJP leadership has not taken a final call; sources in the party said welfare measures of the Shinde-led government has generated considerable goodwill for the Mahayuti, and this cannot be ignored. Read more

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. It is possible that in time some in the considerably weakened NCP (SP) of Sharad Pawar and the Sena (UBT) of Uddhav Thackeray also look at greener pastures and move to the ruling side.

The overall numbers do not give elbow room to Shinde to exercise an option other than staying with the Mahayuti if he is not made CM. The entire MVA has ended with a number of seats 11 short than the Sena tally. That Shinde and Ajit Pawar have emerged as the “asli (real)” Sena and NCP has ramifications for Thackeray and 84-year-old Pawar who hinted during the campaign that this would be his last election. But then what will happen to the emaciated group he heads?  Will Pawar now exercise the option of merging his party in the Congress, a possibility he spoke about during the Lok Sabha elections? Read more

The term of the current Ekanth Shinde-led government will expire on Tuesday and there are merely 48 hours left for the political parties to form the new government.

The focus now shifts to the Chief Minister’s post and with the BJP emerging as the single largest party with 132 seats out of 288, there is a strong urge in the party cadre that Devendra Fadnavis should be the front runner. However, a section in the party leadership vouches for incumbent CM Eknath Shinde “for the time being” and these leaders suggest Fadnavis to be brought to national scene as the party president to succeed JP Nadda.

"In the last 50 years, no party or pre-poll alliance has secured such a big win as Maharashtra's. This is the third consecutive time, that a BJP-led alliance has won in a state. This is indeed a historic win," PM Modi says at a celebratory event with BJP party workers in the national capital.

Addressing party workers at BJP headquarters in Delhi, Union Minister and BJP president JP Nadda said: "On this historic day, the people of India and Maharashtra have sent a message that they have yet again approved PM Modi's vision. For this, I thank the people of Maharashtra, Jharkhand and other states where bypolls were conducted."

'The results in Maharashtra were not as per our expectations. In democracy, people are supreme. There are wins and losses in elections - we will learn from both victory and defeat. We will listen to the voice of the people and walk firmly and humbly on the path of service. Thanks to the people who supported INDIA in Maharashtra. Long live the Constitution,' Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra wrote in a post on X. She surpassed her brother Rahul Gandhi’s 2024 record of over 3.65 lakh vote margin in Wayanad and retained the seat in the by-elections. 

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis won the assembly polls from Nagpur South West seat defeating his Congress rival Prafulla Gudhade Patil by a margin of 39,710 votes, the poll body declared on its official website.

Fadnavis received 129401 votes to win from the seat for the fourth time, but his victory margin reduced by 9,643 votes when compared to the 2019 polls.

This is Fadnavis' sixth assembly poll win. In 1999 and 2004 he had won from Nagpur West. 

NCP-SCP leader Jitendra Awhad says, "It is sad that we could not perform well. We will introspect on the reasons for the defeat...we should not trust EVMs. I am sad that many big leaders(of Maha Vikas Aghadi) lost the elections".

The former Maharashtra minister won from Mumbra-Kalwa seat which was has been winning from this Muslim-dominated seat for consecutive three term since 2009. This time, he was up against Ajit Pawar-led NCP’s candidate Najeeb Mulla.

'The results are unexpected and unacceptable. The sentiments of people that we witnesaed on ground have not been reflected in the results. We will go through the detailed results, study the data and decide further action,' Ramesh Chennithala, AICC in-charge of Maharashtra Congress said this evening.

"When we won in LS, I took the responsibility. Today we have lost, I take up the responsibility. We will continue to voice the concerns of the people of Maharashtra," he added.

After the Mahayuti secured a landslide majority, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Uddhav Thackeray's son Aaditya Thackeray who won from Worli seat also said the results are not according to their expectations.

As per the ECI website, the BJP had won 95 seats and was leading on 38, while Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena emerged victorious on on 44 and was leading on 13. The third constituent of the Mahayuti, the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party, won 35 seats and was leading on six.

In the Maha Vikas Aghadi, the Congress had won 10 seats and was leading on five, while Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) won eight seats and was leading on two. 

"The results of Maharashtra are unexpected and we will analyse them in detail," wrote Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi wrote on X.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, speaking on Mahayuti's performance in Maharashtra polls, said: "Results reflect that there was tsunami rather than a wave".

He expressed disappointment with the people of Maharashtra over the results that did not favour the opposition Maha Vikas Agadhi alliance. "We will keep fighting for the rights of Maharashtra," he added.