In 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, where the opposition Congress, the ruling BJP, and the competing Shiv Sena and NCP factions are vying for political power.
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In 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, where the opposition Congress, the ruling BJP, and the competing Shiv Sena and NCP factions are vying for political domination, the ballots will be counted on Tuesday. For each of the state's 48 Lok Sabha seats, the counting will start at 8 a.m. 14,507 employees will do the exercise at 289 counting rooms and 4,309 counting tables. According to a statement from the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), there was sufficient police presence at each of the counting centres.
Maharashtra is the western state that sends the most MPs to the Lok Sabha (48), after Uttar Pradesh (80 MPs), hence the performance there matters to both the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The Shiv Sena, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the BJP, and the NCP, led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, make up the Mahayuti. The Shiv Sena (UBT), led by Uddhav Thackeray, the Congress, and the NCP (SP) led by Sharad Pawar are among the constituents of the MVA. Maharashtra held five stages of elections at 98,140 polling places between April 19 and May 20.
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In the five phases, the state recorded 61.33 per cent of voters turning out to vote. Renowned individuals like Union ministers Nitin Gadkari (from Nagpur seat), Piyush Goyal (from Mumbai North), Narayan Rane (from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg), Raosaheb Danve (from Jalna), Bharti Pawar (from Dindori), and Kapil Patil (from Bhiwandi) are among the 1,121 candidates.
They were matched up against Congress and Shiv Sena opponents (UBT). The most exciting race took place in the Baramati constituency, where Supriya Sule, the daughter of Sharad Pawar and current MP for the Nationalist Congress Party (SP), faced off against her sister-in-law Sunetra Pawar, the wife of Ajit Pawar, who last year masterminded a split within the Nationalist Congress Party, which his uncle had formed. State ministers Sudhir Mungantiwar and Sandipan Bhumre ran in the Chandrapur and Aurangabad seats, respectively, against opponents from the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT). This time, the BJP-led NDA has raised the stakes by aiming to win more than 45 seats in the state.
In 2019, the BJP won 23 seats while its then ally Shiv Sena (undivided) bagged 18. The then undivided NCP bagged four constituencies, whereas the Congress could win just one seat. The elections in 2024 were fought in a changed political landscape after splits in the Shiv Sena and NCP following rebellion by Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, respectively.
The other key battles were between BJP leader Pankaja Munde and Bajrang Sonawane of the NCP (SP) in Beed and between Congress MLA Praniti Shinde, daughter of ex-Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, and Ram Satpute of the BJP in Solapur.
Shahu Chhatrapati, a royal from Kolhapur, and Udayanraje Bhosale, a direct descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, contested from Kolhapur and Satara seats on Congress and BJP tickets, respectively.
In Mumbai, the BJP is facing the Congress in three of the six seats, while the Shiv Sena, led by Chief Minister Shinde, and the Uddhav Thackeray faction are engaged in a head-to-head contest in Mumbai South, Mumbai North West, and Mumbai South Central. From Mumbai North Central, renowned attorney and newcomer to politics Ujjwal Nikam of the BJP ran against Varsha Gaikwad, head of the Mumbai Congress.
In the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Eknath Shinde's son and sitting MP Shrikant Shinde is seeking a third term from Kalyan. In CM Shinde's stronghold Thane, the Sena led by him and the Shiv Sena (UBT) are locked in a fight. Among the opposition MVA allies, the Shiv Sena (UBT) contested the maximum 21 seats, followed by Congress 17 and NCP (SP) 10.
The BJP nominated 28 candidates in the ruling Mahayuti, followed by the Sena led by Shinde, who ran for 15 seats, the NCP 4 led by Ajit Pawar, and the allied RSP 1. Thirteen of the fifteen seats are in a straight fight between the Uddhav group and the Shinde Sena. In the Baramati and Shirur constituencies, the opposing NCP groups are pitted against one another. Out of 9,29,43,890 electors, as many as 5,70,06,778 had cast ballots.
The Gadchiroli-Chimur constituency had the highest polling percentage (71.88%), while Mumbai South had the lowest polling percentage (50.06%).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who focused mostly on Sharad Pawar during his rallies and doubled down on the development platform, dominated the BJP's campaign. Senior BJP leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, also made an appearance during the hustings.
The MVA's campaign was based on the "threat to the Constitution" narrative which was led by Sharad Pawar who addressed a string of rallies.
Uddhav Thackeray played the sympathy tune citing "gaddari" (treachery) by MLAs from the Shinde camp.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also addressed rallies with the theme of social justice and assurance to conduct a caste census if voted to power.
(With Inputs from PTI)
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