The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has solidified its position as Maharashtra’s leading political force in the recent assembly elections, with the ruling Mahayuti alliance surpassing the 200-seat mark as vote counting continues.
According to trends from the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Mahayuti is leading in 220 seats, ensuring a comfortable majority in the 288-member assembly and setting the stage for government formation.
The BJP leads with 124 seats, followed by Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena with 56 seats, and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction with 43 seats. Additionally, two independent candidates backed by the ruling alliance have secured victories. The Mahayuti contested the elections with the BJP fielding candidates in 152 constituencies, Shiv Sena in 80, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP in 52.
In contrast, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is trailing with leads in just 52 seats. Congress has contested 101 seats, the Shiv Sena (UBT), 96 and NCP (SP) in 87. Among its constituents, the Congress has secured 22 seats, while Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) are leading with 18 and 12 seats, respectively. Three independents aligned with the MVA have also won their contests.
The BJP’s dominance is evident across the state, with leads in 20 out of 24 “safe” seats and strong performances in traditionally challenging constituencies. The party is ahead in 19 of its weaker seats, 51 of its relatively secure seats, and 91 of 140 constituencies where it previously faced significant challenges.
Prominent BJP leaders leading their respective races include Devendra Fadnavis (Nagpur South West), Sudhir Mungantiwar (Ballarpur), Kishor Jorgewar (Chandrapur), Chandrashekhar Bawankule (Kamthi) and Girish Mahajan (Jamner).
This outcome marks a significant improvement for the BJP, which had won 105 seats in the 2019 assembly elections. Combined with the Shiv Sena’s 56 seats at the time, the alliance had achieved a total of 161 seats in the previous polls. The results also reflect a sharp recovery from the BJP’s disappointing performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where it won only nine constituencies in Maharashtra.
The BJP’s success is attributed to its targeted voter outreach, particularly through the Ladki Bahin scheme, which resonated with female voters. The party’s strategic shift from the “Batenge toh Katenge” slogan to the more inclusive “Ek Hain toh Safe Hain” message also played a pivotal role in securing voter confidence.
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