Maharashtra MLC Elections: Maha Vikas Aghadi Wins Three Graduate Seats, Mahayuti Secures Two
In Maharashtras MLC elections, Maha Vikas Aghadi claimed three graduate seats while Mahayuti won two teacher seats in a mixed outcome.
Mumbai, October 29 (Daily Kiran) : The recent Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) elections have yielded mixed results for both the opposition alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), and the ruling Mahayuti coalition. The MVA secured victories in all three graduate constituencies, solidifying its dominance, while the ruling coalition managed to win both teacher constituencies. The final results were announced early Thursday morning after a lengthy 45-hour counting process.
The MVA delivered a significant blow to the ruling coalition by winning in Nagpur, Pune, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) graduate constituencies. Congress candidate and incumbent MLC Abhijit Wanjari successfully retained his seat in Nagpur, defeating BJP‘s Sudhakar Kohale after a decisive shift during the counting of second preference votes.
In Pune, Harshada Deshmukh-Jadhav from the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) triumphed over BJP’s Smita Jadhav by a margin of 9,928 votes, following a grueling counting process that spanned 44 rounds.
Dr. Pratap Singh Patil of the NCP (SP) claimed victory in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar graduate seat, ending an 18-year reign of incumbent MLC Satish Chavan from the Ajit Pawar faction, winning by over 13,000 votes.
Despite the setbacks in the graduate constituencies, the ruling Mahayuti coalition maintained its grip on the teacher constituencies. BJP’s Kaustubh Gawde won the Pune teacher seat, defeating independent candidate Sachin Sane, marking the BJP’s return to this seat after 18 years. Gawde became one of the youngest winners in these elections at just 30 years old.
Kiran Sarnak of Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) secured victory in the Amravati teacher seat after an extended counting process of 32 hours, defeating MVA-supported Professor Aditi Pohare.
These results reflect a divided mandate among the state’s professional voters. Political analysts suggest that while graduate voters leaned towards the opposition due to concerns over employment, higher education, and economic issues, educators prioritized the stability and representation offered by the ruling Mahayuti coalition.
The BJP faced a significant setback in the Nagpur graduate seat as Congress retained its hold after a closely contested battle. The final results for the Nagpur graduate constituency were confirmed after a tumultuous 45-hour counting process.
