The ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance appeared set to retain power in the state, and was leading in 218 of the 288 assembly seats, as per the latest figures in the counting of votes by the Election Commission
Devendra Fadnavis. File Pic
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Pravin Darekar on Saturday demanded that Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis be appointed as the next chief minister of the state with early trends in the counting of votes for the Maharashtra elections 2024 suggesting a win for the Mahayuti combine, reported news agency PTI.
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In the alliance, the party that secures the highest number of seats will be entitled to get the chief minister's post, he asserted.
The ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance appeared set to retain power in the state, and was leading in 218 of the 288 assembly seats, as per the latest figures in the counting of votes by the Election Commission. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was stumbling, with its candidates leading in just 50 seats.
As per ECI figures, in the Mahayuti, BJP candidates were leading in 128 seats, Shiv Sena in 55 and NCP in 35 seats.
Talking to reporters, BJP MLC Darekar said, "Based on the current trends, I believe that the BJP will be the single largest party and Devendra Fadnavis should become the chief minister. The election was contested under his leadership, and he called for a 'dharma yuddha' in these assembly polls," reported PTI.
"I cannot express my gratitude to people," he said, reported PTI.
When asked about the current Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, whose party Shiv Sena is an ally of the BJP, Darekar said, "As part of the alliance, the party that secures the most seats will be entitled to the post of Chief Minister."
Something is fishy, there's a big conspiracy: Sanjay Raut on poll trends suggesting Mahayuti's win
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday alleged that there was a "big conspiracy" and something was "fishy" in the Maharashtra assembly poll results with trends suggesting a landslide victory for the Mahayuti combine.
Talking to reporters, he said the poll results do not reflect people's mandate as the situation was very different on the ground and there was palpable anger against the government.
"I see a big conspiracy in this...This is not a mandate of Marathi 'manoos' and farmers," he said.
"We do not accept this as people's mandate. Something is fishy in the election results," Raut added.
There was no doubt that money was used in the polls, he alleged.
"How can all MLAs of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde win? How can Ajit Pawar, whose betrayal angered Maharashtra, win?" the Rajya Sabha MP asked.
(With inputs from PTI)
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