Youngest Winners 25: Rohit Suman RR Aba Patil is the youngest MLA from Maharashtra. Rohit, who is also the son of Late RR Patil contested on NCP SP ticket from Tasgaon-Kavathe Mahankal assembly constituency, and secured 1,28,403 votes and won by a margin of 27,644 votes. 31: Raghavendra (Ramdada) Manohar Patil is BJP Dhule Rural candidate. He got 1,70,398 votes and won by a margin of 66,320 votes. 32: Varun Sardesai, Shiv Sena UBT candidate from Bandra East, got 57,708 votes and won by 11,365 votes. Eldest Winners 77: Chhagan Bhujbal of NCP from Yeola secured 1,35,023 votes and won by a margin of 26,400 votes. 71: Ajay Choudhari, the Shiv Sena UBT candidate from Shivadi, secured 74,890 and won by a margin of 7,140 votes. 71: Dharmarao Baba Atram, the NCP Ajit Pawar faction candidate from Aheri secured 54,206 votes and won by a margin of 16,814 votes. 74: Dilip Sopal, Shiv Sena UBT Candidate from Barshi secured 1,22,694 votes and won by a margin of 6,472 votes.
24 November,2024 02:56 PM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentShiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday spoke on the recent Maharashtra elections 2024 and said that the party was not disappointed adding that they were the Shiv Sainiks of BalaSaheb Thackeray who had seen several defeats and victories in his life, reported ANI. Speaking to media persons, Raut said "We are not disappointed, we are people who fight. We are Shiv Sainiks of Balasaheb Thackeray. Balasaheb Thackeray has also seen many defeats and victories in his life. We are not sad that we lost or lost power. We will fight against the injustice in Maharashtra," reported ANI. Further, he added that the people of Maharashtra were sad on the results and questioned on where the celebrations were on the Maharashtra elections 2024 results. "The people of Maharashtra are sad about the results. Where is the celebration? Something might have happened at the BJP office or at Eknath Shinde's residence. The results have come but the people are still surprised on how it happened," he said, reported ANI. Raut also said that the swearing-in ceremony shouldn't happen in Maharashtra but at the Modi Stadium in Gujarat. "The swearing-in ceremony is going to take place tomorrow. I would say that it should not happen in Maharashtra. This government has been brought by the Gujarat lobby, by the traders' association, so the swearing-in ceremony should take place in Modi Stadium in Gujarat. If it is done in Shivaji Park, it will be an insult to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. If you do it in Wankhede Stadium, there is a memorial of the martyrs in front of it, they will be insulted. Therefore, the best place is Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat," Raut said, reported ANI. The ruling Mahayuti alliance won the Maharashtra elections 2024. BJP led the Mahayuti and registered a smashing victory, carrying its allies--Shiv Sena and NCP--with its momentum. In Maharashtra, the BJP won 132 seats, Shiv Sena, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, won 57 seats, and the NCP, led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, won 41 seats. The state has 288 assembly seats. The constituents of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a rude jolt with Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray winning 20 seats, Congress 16, and NCP (SCP) led by Sharad Pawar only 10 seats. The BJP saw a fabulous strike rate with the party winning 133 of the 148 seats it contested in Maharashtra. The party's allies Shiv Sena and NCP also saw a very good strike rate. The assembly elections in Maharashtra were held on November 20. (With inputs from ANI)
24 November,2024 02:21 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has suffered a significant rout in the sugarcane belt of western Maharashtra, as the ruling Mahayuti alliance bagged 53 of the 70 assembly seats in the region, reported news agency PTI. The Mahayuti, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and NCP, emerged as a formidable force, leaving the MVA with just 12 seats in the western Maharashtra region, comprising constituencies across Pune, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, Solapur, and Ahilyanagar districts. The results of the Maharashtra elections 2024 were announced on Saturday. The Congress, which bagged 12 seats in the region in 2019, was the biggest loser this time as it managed to win only two seats - Palus-Kadegaon constituency in Sangli which Vishwajeet Kadam managed to retain by defeating BJP's Sangram Deshmukh by 30,064 votes and Shrirampur in Ahilyanagar where Hemant Ogale defeated Shiv Sena's Bhausaheb Kamble by 13,373 votes, reported PTI. Congress bigwigs like Prithviraj Chavan, Balasaheb Thorat, Sangram Thopte faced defeats in their respective constituencies of Karad South in Satara, Sangamner in Ahilyanagar and Bhor in Pune district. The opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) also managed to win only two seats in the region as its candidate Babaji Kale defeated NCP's Dilip Mohite Patil in Khed-Alandi constituency in Pune district while Dilip Sopal defeated Shiv Sena's Rajendra Raut in Barshi constituency in Solapur. Out of the total 10 seats won by Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) across the state, eight are in western Maharashtra: Bapusaheb Pathare (Vadgaon Sheri - Pune), Rohit Pawar (Karjat Jamkhed - Ahilyanagar), Narayan Patil (Karmala- Solapur), Abhijit Patil (Madha - Solapur), Raju Khare (Mohol - Solapur), Uttam Jankar (Malshiras), Jayant Patil (Islampur - Sangli) and Rohit Patil (Tasgaon - Sangli), reported PTI. On the other side, most of the key leaders from the Mahayuti won their seats in the region. In Baramati, NCP leader and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar defeated his nephew Yugendra Pawar of NCP (SP), reported PTI. BJP leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil won in Shirdi and his party colleague Chandrakant Patil bagged Kothrud seat in Pune. Shivendraraje Bhosale of the BJP emerged victorious in Satara and party leader Subhash Deshmukh in Solapur South. NCP leader Dilip Walse Patil won in Ambegaon seat in Pune district. (With inputs from PTI)
24 November,2024 01:46 PM IST | Pune | mid-day online correspondentSenior Congress leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Sunday said his party's defeat was "shocking" and dubbed it as the "worst-ever" loss in the Maharashtra elections 2024, reported news agency PTI. Talking to PTI, Chavan said the Mahayuti government's Ladki Bahin Yojana, for providing financial assistance to women, clicked with voters in rural areas while polarisation hit the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi's (MVA) prospects in urban parts of the state. "It is difficult to say whether there was a wave or tampering," said Chavan, who lost from his Karad South seat. The results of the Maharashtra elections 2024 to the 288-member state assembly were announced on Saturday. Several bigwigs from the MVA, including Chavan, were defeated. The Congress, which contested 101 seats as part of the MVA, posted its worst-ever defeat by managing to win only 16 seats. Chavan said he was expecting to win his Karad South seat in Satara district by 5,000 to 6,000 votes. But, all MVA nominees in the district lost by nearly a margin of 40,000 votes, he noted, reported PTI. BJP's Atul Bhosale defeated the former CM in Karad South by a margin of 39,355 votes, as per the results announced by the Election Commission on Saturday. Chavan said that in the 1977 Lok Sabha polls, Congress' tally of 20 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra was the lowest ever. "This is a shocking defeat and is the worst-ever in the assembly polls," he said, referring to the just concluded state elections, reported PTI. Chavan said he had spoken to All India Congress Committee in-charge for Maharashtra Ramesh Chennithala, who has left for Delhi to discuss the state results with the Congress leadership, reported PTI. "I will stay back in Karad for two days to meet people," Chavan said. (With inputs from PTI)
24 November,2024 12:50 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe Ajit Pawar-led NCP has defeated the NCP (SP) headed by his uncle Sharad Pawar in 29 seats in the contest between the two rival factions in the Maharashtra elections 2024, reported news agency PTI. The NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) came out winner in six constituencies, as per the results announced on Saturday. The Nationalist Congress Party of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, a constituent of the ruling Mahayuti, won 41 of the 59 seats it contested, as per the Election Commission's figures. The NCP (SP) led by his uncle had to be content with only ten victories, though it fielded 86 candidates, reported PTI. The NCP, founded by Sharad Pawar, split last year after Ajit Pawar walked away with 41 MLAs and aligned with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and BJP to become part of the Mahayuti government, triggering an acrimonious intra-family rivalry. Ajit Pawar faced a big setback in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls when his cousin and Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule defeated his wife Sunetra Pawar on their home turf Baramati. On Saturday, Ajit Pawar defeated his nephew Yugendra Pawar, endorsed by 83-year-old Sharad Pawar, by a margin of over 1 lakh votes, inflicting on the veteran leader the first-ever defeat in this family bastion. The 29 seats that the NCP bagged in a direct fight with the NCP (SP) candidates included Sindhkhed Raja where Manoj Kayande defeated sitting MLA Rajendra Shingane who had earlier sided with Ajit Pawar but subsequently returned to his parent party. Aheri saw another intra-family battle, with Dharmarao Atram of the NCP defeating his daughter Bhagyashree of NCP (SP). Indranil Naik beat Sharad Maind of NCP (SP) in Pusad, while Chandrakant Navghare came in top in the face-off against Jaiprakash Dandegaonkar of NCP (SP) in Basmath. Prominent OBC leader and Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal defeated Manikrao Shinde of NCP (SP) in Yeola. In Sinnar, Manikrao Kokate won against Uday Sangale of NCP (SP). Maharashtra assembly deputy speaker Narhari Zirwal of NCP retained his Dindori seat, registering a triumph over Sunita Charoskar. Daulat Daroda beat Pandurang Barora in Shahapur, while former minister Nawab Malik's daughter Sana Malik won against NCP(SP) nominee Fahad Ahmad, who is also the husband of actor Swara Bhasker, in Mumbai's Anushaktinagar in a high-decibel contest. Anil Navgane of NCP (SP) was bested by minister Aditi Tatkare in the coastal Srivardhan. In Ambegaon, her cabinet colleague Dilip Walse Patil defeated Devdutt Nikam. Shirur constituency saw Dnyaneshwar Katke winning the fight against Ashok Pawar of NCP (SP). Anna Bandsode trounced Sulakshana Dhar of NCP (SP) in Pimpri, while Kiran Lahamate defeated Amit Bhangare of NCP (SP) in Akole. In Kopargaon, Ashutosh Kale beat Sandeep Varpe of NCP (SP). Sangram Jagtap defeated Abhishek Kalamkar of NCP (SP) in Ahmednagar City. In Majalgaon, Prakash Solanke marched to victory, leaving behind Mohan Jagtap of NCP (SP).Minister Dhananjay Munde took a whopping lead of 1.4 lakh votes over Rajesaheb Deshmukh to emerge as the winner in Parli of Beed district in the Marathwada region. Babasaheb Patil defeated Vinayak Jadhav Patil of NCP (SP) in Ahmedpur, while Sanjay Bandsode scored over Sudhakar Bhalerao of NCP (SP) in Udgir. In Phaltan, Deepak Chavan of NCP (SP) was bested by Sachin Patil. His party colleague Makrand Patil defeated Aruna Pisal of NCP (SP) in Wai. Shekar Nikam won the face-off against Prashant Yadav of NCP (SP) in Chiplun. Minister Hasan Mushrif registered victory in Kagal by trouncing Samarjit Ghatge. Kashinath Date beat Rani Lanke of NCP (SP) in Parner and Raju Karemore defeated Charan Waghmare of NCP (SP) in Tumsar. In Indapur, Datta Bharne won against Harshvardhan Patil, who had crossed over from the BJP to NCP (SP) before the November 20 polls. Notably, Sharad Pawar's party polled 11.28 per cent of all votes. The figure for the NCP stood at 9.01 per cent. Referring to the rivals as "traitors", Sharad Pawar had asked voters to defeat them "decisively". The results show voters ignored the appeal. The NCP (SP) candidates who defeated their NCP rivals included Jitendra Awhad, who won against Najeeb Mulla in Mumbra Kalwa. Bapusaheb Pathare defeated Sunil Tingre in Vadgaon Sheri. Sandeep Kshirsagar defeated Yogesh Kshirsagar in Beed. Abhijit Patil won in Madha leaving Minal Sathe of the NCP in the third position. Raju Khare defeated Yashwant Mane in Mohol while state NCP (SP) chief Jayant Patil defeated Nishikant Patil in Islampur. Rohit Patil defeated Sanjay Kaka Patil in Tasgaon Kavathe-Mahankal. (With inputs from PTI)
24 November,2024 12:42 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has trounced rival Shiv Sena (UBT) of Uddhav Thackeray in 36 assembly seats in Maharashtra, putting to rest the debate over which is the real party founded by late Bal Thackeray. Shinde's Sena, a constituent of the ruling Mahayuti alliance, won 57 of the 81 seats it contested in the state polls, the Maharashtra elections 2024 results of which were announced on Saturday. The Sena (UBT), a partner in the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), managed to bag only 20 despite fielding 95 candidates. In 14 seats, it defeated Shiv Sena candidates. In one of his biggest political gambles, Shinde rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray's leadership in June 2022 and aligned with the BJP along with his backers to become the chief minister. The move split the Sena, led to the collapse of the Thackeray-led MVA government and sparked almost daily bickerings between the two factions. Subsequently, Shinde got the party name and its 'bow-and-arrow' symbol from the Election Commission. Shinde had retained most of the sitting MLAs, who chose to be with him when he led the rebellion two years ago. They delivered for him on Saturday when votes for the state polls were counted. Minister Abdul Sattar defeated Suresh Bankar in Sillod. Pradeep Jaiswal, who fought against Balasaheb Thorat, was the winner in Aurangabad Central. Sanjay Shirsat beat Raju Shinde in Aurangabad West seat, while Vilas Bhumre came on top in his fight against Dattatrey Gorde in Paithan. Chandrakant Sonawane, who replaced his wife and sitting MLA Lata Sonawane, defeated Prabhakar Sonawane of Sena (UBT) in Chopda. Sanjana Jadhav trounced Udaysing Rajput in Kannad, while Sanjay Bangar emerged victorious against Santosh Tarfe in Kalamnuri. Ganesh Dhatrak was bested by Suhas Kande in Nandgaon. Dada Bhuse defeated Prashant Hiray in Malegaon outer. In the tribal-dominated Palghar constituency, Rajendra Gavit beat Jayendra Dubla. In Bhiwandi rural of Thane district, where CM Shinde holds sway, Shantaram More of his party defeated Uddhav's man Mahadev Ghatal. Vishwas Bhoir vanquished Sachin Basare in Kalyan West, while Pratap Sarnaik defeated Naresh Manera in Ovla Majiwada in Thane city. Shinde himself registered a massive victory in his Kopri-Pachpakhadi seat, defeating Kedar Dighe by a margin of 1.2 lakh votes. Prakash Surve trounced Udesh Patekar In Magathane, while Ashok Patil vanquished Ramesh Korgaonkar in Bhandup West. Murji Patel, who had earlier lost to Rutuja Latke in Andheri East, bounced back as the winner. Tukaram Kate defeated Prakash Phaterpekar in Chembur. Both Latke and Phatarpekar were sitting MLAs who had stayed with Uddhav. Bharat Gogawale got more votes than Snehal Jagtap to bag the Mahad seat, while Shambhuraj Desai trounced Bhanupratap Kadam in Patan. In coastal Dapoli, Yogesh Kadam defeated Sanjay Kadam. Minister Uday Samant won against Bal Mane in Ratnagiri, while Kiran Samant beat sitting MLA Rajan Salvi in Rajapur. Nilesh Rane, who switched from BJP to Shiv Sena before the polls, defeated sitting MLA Vaibhav Naik in Kudal. In Sawantwadi near Goa, Deepak Kesarkar got the best of Rajan Teli. Prakash Abitkar defeated KP Patil in Radhanagari. The Sena (UBT) won against the Shiv Sena in 14 seats. In Mehkar, Rambhau Kharat defeated Shiv Sena's Sanjay Bhaskar Raymulkar, while Nitin Bhikanrao Deshmukh was the winner in Balapur. Shiv Sena's Bhagwan Siraskar came third. Sunil Raut defeated Suvarna Karanje in Vikhroli and his Sena (UBT) colleague Anant Nar was the winner in Jogeshwari West after a face-off with Manisha Waikar. Sunil Prabhu defeated Sanjay Nirupam in Dindoshi. Mahesh Sawant beat Sada Sarvankar in Mahim. Uddhav Thackeray's son and former state minister Aaditya Thackeray retained his Worli seat by defeating Milind Deora, who recently joined the Shiv Sena from Congress. Manoj Jamsutkar defeated Yamini Jadhav in Byculla. The vote share of the Sena (UBT) was 9.96 per cent compared to Shiv Sena's 12.38 per cent. The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance on Saturday retained power in Maharashtra, pocketing a whopping 230 of the 288 assembly seats, as the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi's dream of wresting power fizzled, with the opposition combine managing to garner just 46 seats. The Election Commission announced that the BJP has won 132 seats, the Shiv Sena won 57, while the NCP got 41 seats. In the MVA, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) candidates won 10 seats, Congress won 16, while Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) won 20 seats. (With inputs from Agencies)
24 November,2024 12:17 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentUnion Minister Piyush Goyal termed Mahayuti's win in Maharashtra a 'good message' to accelerate the goal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's developed India 2047, adding that the people in Maharashtra supported the good work done by PM Modi. Piyush Goyal also noted that the people of Maharashtra have rejected the politics of appeasement of the Congress party and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). "Once again, under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the BJP-Mahayuti has achieved a resounding victory. This victory is a good message to accelerate the goal of Prime Minister Modi's developed India 2047, to further advance the development of Maharashtra," Piyush Goyal told ANI. He further highlighted that the victory reflected the people have supported the good work done by leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde, and Ajit Pawar. "I thank all the voters," he added. Notably, the ruling Mahayuti alliance won the Maharashtra assembly poll. The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance registered a smashing victory, carrying its allies--Shiv Sena and NCP--with its momentum. The BJP has won 132 seats; Shiv Sena, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has won 57 seats, and the NCP, led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, won 41 seats. The state has 288 assembly seats. In contrast, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a rude jolt with Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray winning 20 seats, Congress securing 16, and NCP(SP) led by Sharad Pawar managed just 10 seats. The BJP saw a fabulous strike rate with the party winning 133 of the 148 seats it contested in Maharashtra. The party's allies Shiv Sena and NCP also have a very good strike rate. The assembly elections in Maharashtra were held on November 20. Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined celebrations at BJP headquarters following the party-led Mahayuti's landslide victory in Maharashtra assembly elections and said the people of the state have defeated "negative and parivarvad politics." Addressing party members in the BJP headquarters, PM Modi said it is difficult for Congress to win elections on its own. "Congress has now become a parasitic party, increasingly difficult for it to form a government on its own. Congress not only sinks its boat but also the boats of its allies. Today we have seen the same thing in Maharashtra also," he said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
24 November,2024 11:59 AM IST | Mumbai | PTIAs many as 21 women candidates have emerged winner in the elections to the 288-seat Maharashtra assembly, with only one of them from the opposition, according to the Maharashtra elections 2024 poll results, reported PTI. The BJP accounted for the highest number of 14 women candidates emerging victorious, including 10 who were re-elected: Shweta Mahale (Chikli constituency), Meghana Bordikar (Jintur), Devyani Farande (Nashik Central), Seema Hiray (Nashik West), Manda Mhatre (Belapur), Manisha Chaudhari (Dahisar), Vidya Thakur (Goregaon), Madhuri Misal (Parvati), Monica Rajale (Shevgaon) and Namita Mundada (Kaij), reported PTI. The four new women winners of the BJP are Shreejaya Chavan (Bhokar), Sulabha Gaikwad (Kalyan East), Sneha Pandit (Vasai) and Anuradha Chavan (Fulambari), as per the poll results announced by the Election Commission on Saturday. Manjula Gavit (Sakri) and Sanjana Jadhav (Kannad) were elected on the ruling Shiv Sena tickets, reported PTI. Sulbha Khodke (Amravati), Saroj Ahire (Deolali), Sana Malik (Anushaktinagar) and Aditi Tatkare (Shrivardhan) won on the ruling NCP tickets, reported PTI. Congress' Jyoti Gaikwad (Dhavari) will be the lone woman MLA from the opposition's side. The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance on Saturday retained power in Maharashtra, pocketing a whopping 230 of the 288 assembly seats, as the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi's dream of wresting power fizzled, with the opposition combine managing to garner just 46 seats. The Election Commission announced that the BJP has won 132 seats, the Shiv Sena won 57, while the NCP got 41 seats. In the MVA, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) candidates won 10 seats, Congress won 16, while Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) won 20 seats. (With inputs from PTI)
24 November,2024 11:11 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe Maharashtra Assembly polls painted a stark picture of the state’s political dynamics, with smaller parties struggling to stay relevant amid the dominance of larger alliances. The ruling Mahayuti coalition, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), secured a resounding victory, while the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)—comprising the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction), and Congress—was left to play catch-up. Caught in this polarised contest, smaller parties like the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) of Raj Thackeray, Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), and Raju Shetti’s Swabhimani Paksha failed to make any significant headway. Despite fielding hundreds of candidates, their performance remained underwhelming, with vote shares barely scratching the surface. Amit Thackeray, MNS leader, on his way to file nomination before polls. File pic/Ashish Raje Even high-profile candidates like Amit Thackeray, son of Raj Thackeray, suffered crushing defeats, reflecting a broader voter preference for stability over fragmented alternatives. Speaking about the challenges, political analyst Abhay Deshpande said, “The elections have increasingly become a battle of alliances. Smaller parties find themselves sidelined as voters prefer stability and decisive governance. It’s a trend that is likely to persist unless these parties re-strategise.” Kunal Mainkar from MNS stated that the results were unexpected. “The poll results have not met our expectations. Whether it's Mumbai, Thane, or elsewhere in Maharashtra, the results were surprising and not as anticipated. Initially, we took the lead, but later things took a downturn. We had hoped to win a few seats, but the outcome is not what we expected,” said Kunal Mainkar, the MNS candidate from Borivli. Echoing similar sentiments, VBA Vice President and Chief Spokesperson Siddharth Mokale expressed that the results were unexpected. “These are not the results we were expecting. We were in contest in at least 30-35 seats. The key point is that we were the only party to fight the elections with reservations as our main agenda. In Marathwada and western Maharashtra, where the issue of reservations holds significant importance, we contested the elections with full force. However, the results are unexpected, and everything seems to be going in favour of Mahayuti.” Meanwhile, when contacted, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Waris Pathan said, “I am not in a position to comment on this right now.” Parties like the Samajwadi Party and AIMIM were in a slightly better position. While the MNS had fielded 125 candidates, the VBA had 200 candidates in the fray. The bad news for the MNS was compounded by Amit Thackeray, son of party chief Raj Thackeray, trailing in third place in the Mahim. According to the Election Commission, the MNS secured 1.55 per cent of the vote share, AIMIM garnered 0.85 per cent, and the Samajwadi Party received 0.38 per cent. The Raju Shetti-led Swabhimani Paksha, which had fielded 19 candidates, also failed to make any impact. It is known for its influence among farmers, especially in western Maharashtra. The Maharashtra elections in 2024 underscore the growing dominance of larger alliances in Indian politics, leaving little room for smaller parties to maneuver. While they have been instrumental in raising critical issues in the past, their relevance now hinges on strategic reinvention and stronger grassroots connectivity. Many political pundits had said that ‘small’ may turn out to be bigger than expected in these elections. As voters lean towards stability, the question remains: Will smaller parties find their voice again in Maharashtra’s political arena? Party wise results: MNS - 0 VBA - 0 MIM - 1 Swabhimani Paksha - 0
24 November,2024 11:06 AM IST | Mumbai | Ronak MastakarFormer chief minister and BJP’s chief strategist in the recently-concluded Maharashtra assembly elections, Devendra Fadnavis’ stunning return to the political centrestage has made everyone ask the inevitable question: Will power dynamics shift in the urban local bodies, too, and will the next state government pave the way for municipal elections in the state, including in Mumbai? The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is India’s richest civic body (FY 2023-24 budget was over R52,000 crore) and was scheduled to go the polls in early 2022. Yet, for nearly three years, there have no elections for the 227 corporator seats in the BMC, leaving the city’s administration to the commissioner and his team of bureaucrats; first under Iqbal Singh Chahal, and later under Bhushan Gagrani. BJP’s stunning landslide win in the state election is likely to give a fillip to the party’s confidence of changing the equations at the local level, too, and therefore, defeating its arch-rival and former alliance partner Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray). Even before the declaration of the results on Saturday, the Mission 150 slogan that the BJP had coined for the party’s BMC campaign in 2023 resurfaced. In fact, party insiders feel 150 is too low. In a conversation with Sunday mid-day, Ravi Raja, vice president, Mumbai BJP, said on Saturday evening, “Going by the state assembly election results, the revised target for Mahayuti (BJP, Shiv Sena -Shinde, NCP - Ajit Pawar) would be 175-180 and not 150.” Raja, a former Congress leader of opposition in the BMC who recently joined the BJP, emphasised the need for civic elections to be held soon. BJP sources said that elections could be held as early as the first quarter of 2025. Raja told Sunday mid-day, “The next Mumbai mayor will be from Mahayuti. With a change in guard, Mumbaikars will see better governance and speedy implementation of the infrastructure projects.” A united Shiv Sena (which split into the Eknath Shinde and UBT factions in October 2022) had asserted its dominance in city politics and administration as early as in the 1970s under the late party founder and supremo Bal Thackeray following a fierce and long-drawn battle with left-leaning trade unions. Over the past few years, however, Shiv Sena’s hold over Mumbai has been weakening. The Sena-BJP saffron alliance ruled the corporation for over two decades since the 1990s. In 2014, this alliance broke at the city level and both parties decided to contest the 2017 elections independently. The undivided Shiv Sena won 84 of the 227 seats, while a strong BJP showing meant that it won 82 (from 51 in 2012). This is the parity that the BJP wants to demolish. The Shiv Sena managed to hold onto power in 2017 with support from independents and smaller parties. In 2025, however, the same independents and smaller parties may not be inclined to show their support, especially if the UBT faction of the Sena performs weakly. Take the assembly election results. In Mumbai, of the 21 seats contested by the UBT camp, it managed to retain only ten, compared to 14 MLAs in 2019 (of the then undivided Shiv Sena). The BJP, on the other hand, won 15 of the 18 assembly seats it contested in Mumbai, one less than 2019. The BJP, which has been using “strike rate” (number of seats won in relation to those contested) as its new performance benchmark, has pointed out that the UBT’s assembly seat strike rate in Mumbai is 47.62% compared to its 83.33%. In February 2023, in a state executive meeting in Nashik, the BJP gave its call for ‘Mission 150’ for the BMC elections. The then-incumbent BJP MLA from Kandivli Atul Bhatkhalkar had proposed the resolution which was seconded by party MLA Amit Satam. BJP’s chief spokesperson for Maharashtra Keshav Upadhye stated on Saturday that Fadnavis had played a key role in several important infrastructure projects in Mumbai, especially the Metro rail network. “Now, too, the BJP is committed to developing a bigger Metro network, and the party will continue to work towards its goal,” Upadhye told Sunday mid-day. Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena (UBT) said on Saturday that it will continue its fight against what it calls “the dictatorship” and that “we will leave no stone unturned to keep our base and bastion intact.” Shiv Sena (UBT), MP and spokesperson Sanjay Raut said defeat is not a new thing for the party rank and file. “Post formation of Shiv Sena, the party has witnessed several defeats. But it always made a comeback. Now, too, our base will see a comeback. Shiv Sainiks are known to be fighters,” Raut said. On BJP’s electoral juggernaut, he added, “One cannot expect fair elections as long as BJP leaders are in power at the Centre. As a party, we will put our shoulders to the wheel to retain the BMC.”
24 November,2024 11:00 AM IST | Mumbai | Sanjeev ShivadekarExpressing happiness over the outcome of the Maharashtra elections 2024, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pankaja Munde on Saturday said that the response was greater than expected. She slammed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) saying that the public has rejected fake narratives and has shown acceptance of the politics of development, reported news agency ANI. "It is a very big victory of the Mahayuti...The response was more than we expected...We are very happy as the public has rejected fake narratives and accepted the politics of development..." said Pankaja Munde, reported ANI. In Maharashtra, the BJP led the Mahayuti alliance to a smashing victory, carrying its allies, Shiv Sena and NCP, forward with its momentum. While the BJP has won or is ahead in 133 seats, Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has won or is ahead in 56 seats and NCP led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is poised to win 41 seats. The state has a total of 288 assembly seats. The constituents of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a rude jolt with Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray poised to win 20 seats, Congress 16 and NCP(SCP) led by Sharad Pawar only 10 seats. The BJP posted an impressive strike rate with the party poised to win 133 of the 148 seats it contested in Maharashtra. The party's allies Shiv Sena and NCP also achieved a good strike rate. This was the first assembly election after the split between the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party. Uddhav Thackeray lost his Chief Ministerial position in 2022 due to a split in his party, and he was keen to prove a point in the assembly polls. Eknath Shinde, who became Maharashtra's Chief Minister after the split in Shiv Sena, gained popularity in the last two-and-a-half years due to welfare measures initiated by the Mahayuti government including the Ladki Bahin scheme. (With inputs from ANI)
24 November,2024 10:40 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
