Only 2 rebels win in Maharashtra, but inflict damage on 7 Mahayuti and 4 MVA candidates

In at least 12 seats, Mahayuti rebels polled more votes than the victory margins, even as some bigwigs among them like former BJP MP Heena Gavit (Nandurbar) and NCP leader Sameer Bhujbal (Nandgaon) bit the dust.

The only two rebels to win also both belong originally to Mahayuti parties – Sharad Sonawane (Shiv Sena), who won in Junnar, and Shivaji Patil (BJP) in Chandgad. While Sonawane, who pocketed 73,355 votes and defeated his nearest rival, Satyashil Sherkar of the NCP(SP) by a margin of 6,664 votes in Junnar, the NCP’s Atul Benke finished third with just over 48,000 votes.

In Chandgad, Shivaji Patil defeated the Mahayuti’s official candidate, NCP’s Rajesh Patil by over 24,000 votes as NCP(SP)’s Nandatai Kupekar-Babhulkar secured just over 48,000 and finished third.

The party hit the most by rebel presence was the third Mahayuti partner, Ajit Pawar-led NCP, which may have lost five constituencies as a result.

The four seats where rebels hurt the MVA were Partur, Jintur, Shrigonda and Indapur. In several more, such as Badnera, Patan and Ramtek, they got more votes than the alliance’s official candidates.

In Partur, for example, Congress rebel Sureshkumar Jethliya polled 53,921 votes while the winning margin of the BJP’s Babanrao Yadav against the Sena (UBT)’s Asaram Borde was 4,740 votes.

In Jintur, where the BJP’s Meghna Bordikar defeated the NCP(SP)’s Vijay Bhamble by 4,516 votes, Congress rebel Suresh Nagare (contesting on a Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi ticket), secured 56,474 votes.

In Shrigonda, where the BJP’s Baban Pachpute defeated the Sena (UBT)’s Anuradha Nagwada, NCP (SP) rebel Rahul Jagtap pocketed over 62,000 votes and came second.

In Indapur, NCP(SP) rebel Pravin Mane secured 37,917 votes, spoiling the prospects of the party’s official candidate Harshvardhan Patil, who lost to the NCP’s Dattatray Bharne by over 19,000 votes.

In the case of Mahayuti, its rebels played a spoilsport in Beed, Karmala, Madha, Risod and Akola West constituencies, apart from winning Junnar and Chandgad.

In Beed, Sena rebel Anil Jagtap secured 15,613 votes even as NCP (SP) candidate Sandeep Kshirsagar defeated the NCP’s Yogesh Kshirsagar by 5,324 votes.

In Akola West, BJP rebel Harish Alimchandani polled 21,481 votes, as its official candidate Vijay Agrawal lost to the Congress’s Sajid Pathan by 1,283 votes.

In Karnala, Sanjaymama Shinde, an NCP rebel, hurt the Shiv Sena’s Digvijay Bagal. Shinde polled 80,006 votes, much higher than the 16,000-vote victory margin of NCP(SP)’s Narayan Patil.

In Madha, the NCP’s Minal Sathe finished third, behind the NCP(SP)’s Abhijit Patil and NCP rebel Ranjit Shinde, who polled over 1.05 lakh votes. Patil won the seat by a margin of 30,621 votes.

In Risod, BJP rebel Anantrao Deskhmukh came second behind winning Congress candidate Amit Zanak by 6,136 votes, pushing the Sena’s Bhawana Gawli to third place.

Mahayuti rebels who polled more votes than winning margins

Rebels ruin MVA candidate’s chances