Sat Nov 23 05:55:35 UTC 2024: ## Mahayuti Coalition Poised for Landslide Victory in Maharashtra Assembly Elections
**Mumbai, India –** The Mahayuti coalition, comprising the BJP, the Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena, and the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP, is projected to win a record number of seats in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, surpassing the previous 200-seat benchmark. With vote counting nearing completion, the Mahayuti holds a commanding lead, securing approximately 221 seats out of 288. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), an alliance of the Congress, the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, and the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP, is far behind with approximately 55 seats.
The BJP is leading in 128 of the 149 seats it contests, while the Shinde Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP are ahead in 53 of 81 and 36 of 59 seats, respectively. In contrast, the Congress, Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena, and Sharad Pawar’s NCP are leading in 19, 13, and 19 seats out of 101, 95, and 86 contested seats, respectively.
High-profile races include the contest between Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Kedar Dighe, where Shinde maintains a significant lead; the “Pawar vs Pawar” battle between Ajit Pawar and his grandnephew Yugendra Pawar in Baramati, which Ajit Pawar is winning by a considerable margin; and the Worli constituency clash between Aaditya Thackeray and Milind Deora, with Deora currently ahead. Zeeshan Siddiqui, son of the late Baba Siddiqui, is trailing in his race.
Exit polls, while often inaccurate, had largely predicted a Mahayuti victory, although some suggested a closer contest. A significant voter turnout of 65.1%—the highest in a decade—has been interpreted differently by both alliances. The BJP has claimed this signifies public support for the incumbent government, while conventional wisdom suggests high turnout often favors the challenger.
The race for the Chief Minister’s post is already underway, with internal jostling within both alliances. While the Mahayuti faces potential friction between the BJP and the Shinde faction regarding the Chief Minister’s position, the MVA also demonstrates divisions over leadership claims.
The results mark a significant shift from the 2019 elections, which saw the BJP and the then-undivided Shiv Sena win a majority but subsequently split due to a power-sharing disagreement, leading to the formation of the MVA government. The current election’s outcome reflects the political realignment in Maharashtra following the subsequent rebellions and party splits.
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