Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Jun 23: The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance on Monday registered a major victory in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections from local authorities’ constituencies, winning 16 of the 17 seats amid widespread cross-voting from both ruling and Opposition camps.
The BJP secured 11 seats, while its allies Shiv Sena won three and the NCP two seats. The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), failed to win any seat.
The only setback for the ruling alliance came from Nashik, where independent candidate Gokul Gite defeated Shiv Sena nominee Narendra Darade. Gite won 357 votes against Darade’s 248 votes, securing victory by a margin of 109 votes. Hours after the result, Gite joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena as an associate member.
The biennial elections were notified for 17 seats, including one bypoll. However, voting was required in only 11 constituencies as Mahayuti candidates secured unopposed victories in six seats. Polling was held on June 18, with counting conducted on June 22.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis described the outcome as a “resounding victory” and a decisive mandate in favour of Mahayuti.
Fadnavis credited the victory to the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior party leaders, congratulating all winning candidates.
The results witnessed major cross-voting across constituencies, with votes from Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) ranks reportedly shifting in favour of BJP and Shiv Sena candidates.
In Nagpur, BJP candidate Rajiv Potdar registered a record victory as Congress nominee Atul Londhe failed to retain his party’s expected vote base. Reports suggested around 40 Congress votes shifted, helping BJP secure the seat in the bypoll caused after senior BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule vacated the position following his election to the Assembly.
Congress leader Vikas Thakre expressed disappointment over the Nagpur outcome and said those responsible for cross-voting would have to explain their actions.
“What has happened is not good. Votes should not have split. Those responsible must explain what happened and action should be taken against those who indulged in betrayal,” he said.
In Sangli-Satara, BJP candidate Dhairyashil Kadam defeated NCP (SP) nominee Abhaysinh Jagtap by 593 votes to 292. The result also indicated cross-voting, with over 100 votes reportedly shifting between alliances.
The Nashik constituency remained the biggest talking point after Gite contested as an independent against Shiv Sena’s Darade despite Mahayuti backing the latter. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had campaigned for Darade along with several elected representatives.
After joining Shiv Sena, Gite said he wanted to work under the leadership of Shinde.
“I have joined the Shiv Sena as an associate member,” he said.
Six candidates were elected unopposed to the Upper House — Shiv Sena’s Ravindra Phatak and Dushyant Chaturvedi, NCP’s Aniket Tatkare and Vikram Kakade, and BJP’s Arun Lakhani and Prajakt Tanpure.
Other winners included BJP candidates Suhas Shirsat, Avinash Brahmankar, Rajendra Raut, Basavaraj Patil, Nandkishor Mahajan, Pravin Pote and Amar Rajurkar, along with Shiv Sena’s Saeed Khan.
The elections followed the preferential voting system, where candidates require more than 50 per cent of valid votes plus one to win, with second preference votes counted if needed.
The Opposition alleged that the ruling alliance used money and political pressure to influence the elections.
Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal accused Mahayuti of using “saam, daam, dand, bhed” and alleged misuse of power and resources.
He claimed the elections reflected a “might is right” approach and accused the ruling alliance of weakening democratic institutions.
Sapkal also alleged that Opposition candidates were pressured to withdraw and claimed money power played a role in the elections. He said the Congress would continue its fight to protect democracy and the Constitution.