Maharashtra Election Results 2024 LIVE Updates: Maha Vikas Aghadi and Mahayuti Neck-And-Neck In Early Leads
Maharashtra Results 2024 Live Updates: Exit polls give an unclear picture of who will win.
New Delhi:
Maharashtra Election Results 2024 LIVE Updates: Maharashtra voted with enthusiasm, registering a voter turnout not seen in three decades. Rival alliances Mahayuti (BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP) and Maha Vikas Aghadi (NCP(SP)-Shiv Sena(UBT)-Congress) are now hopeful for elevation to power even as five of nine exit polls predicted a comfortable cruise to victory for the BJP-led bloc.
These elections will also be a test for the fractured Shiv Sena and NCP, after a split in these parties following a rebellion. If the Maha Vikas Aghadi wins, it will have to move past intra-alliance hurdles over the chief ministerial pick.
In a largely peaceful election, a multi-crore bitcoin scam involving the names of Mr Patole and NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule started a row. Further, BJP National General Secretary Vinod Tawde was accused of a cash-for-votes scam, with the opposition alleging he distributed Rs 5 crore.
Here are the LIVE Updates of Maharashtra Election Results 2024:
Both major coalitions have unveiled their manifestos. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has introduced the “Batenge to Katenge” slogan and its refined version, “Ek Hai to Safe Hai”, while the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is relying on its familiar caste census strategy, promising to lift the 50% reservation cap.
Meanwhile, rebel candidates are flexing their muscles, aiming to disrupt both sides in this fierce contest. In a last-minute move to attract farmers facing agricultural distress, the MVA has promised a Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 7,000 per quintal for soybean.
After travelling across all six regions of Maharashtra, it remains difficult to determine which side holds the upper hand. The election has evolved into a hyper-local contest.
A regional party has accused BJP leaders, including general secretary and former minister Vinod Tawde, of distributing cash at a hotel in Virar in Palghar district.
The Bahujan Vikas Aghadi alleged that BJP candidate from Nalasopara Rajan Naik was distributing cash, allegedly to influence voters, in the presence of Mr Tawde.
Kshitij Thakur, sitting Bahujan Vikas Aghadi MLA , reached the hotel with his supporters and high drama followed. The Bahujan Vikas Aghadi supporters gheraoed Mr Tawde and raised slogans. They claimed that they found envelopes with cash and diaries at the meeting venue.
The Maharashtra Congress and ally Sharad Pawar’s faction of Nationalist Congress Party were hit by corruption allegations. A retired police officer, Ravindranath Patil, accused Mr Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule and state Congress chief Nana Patole of being involved in a fraud case involving cryptocurrency that dates back to 2018.
The funds, he alleged, have been used for campaigning in the assembly election. Supriya Sule has denied any wrongdoing and called it the “familiar tactics of spreading false information to manipulate the righteous voters” the night before election.
“An inquiry will be done and the truth will come in front of the people,” Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who is contesting the Assembly polls from Baramati, said.
Ms Sule replied, “He is Ajit Pawar, he can say anything. Rama Krishna Hari.”
Most exit polls also predicted that Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) would put up a strong show in polls but is unlikely to cross the majority mark in the 288-member assembly.
According to the P-MARQ exit poll, the Mahayuti alliance would win 137-157 seats whereas the Maha Vikas Aghadi would get 126-147 seats and others 2-8 seats.
Chanakya Strategies projected that Mahayuti will win 152-150 seats, MVA 130-138 seats, and others 6-8 seats.
The 2019 election resulted in a thumping win for the BJP and the undivided Sena; the saffron party won 105 seats (down 17 from 2014) and its ally 56 (down seven). The NCP won 54 seats and the Congress bagged 44 seats.
However, two long-time allies fell out in the following days after they failed to agree a power-sharing deal. Mr Thackeray then led his Sena into a surprise alliance with the Congress and Sharad Pawar’s NCP (then also undivided) to shut out a furious BJP.
Eventually, an internal rebellion led by Sena leader Eknath Shinde that ousted the MVA government. The NCP split a year later in a near-identical process that saw Ajit Pawar and lawmakers loyal to him joining the BJP-Shinde Sena, and he then became a Deputy Chief Minister.
Since then, Maharashtra politics has been roiled in controversy that extended to the Supreme Court, which heard petitions and cross-petitions on disqualification of MLAs and, in the build-up to this election, pleas on which Sena and NCP faction is the ‘real’ one.
Nine exit polls that predict victory for the Mahayuti all expect it to be a dominant performance.
In fact, of those nine, Axis-My India, Peoples Pulse, Poll Diary, and Today’s Chanakya have each given the BJP-led alliance a minimum of 175 seats. Chanakya Strategies, Matrize, and Times Now-JVC also expect victory for the BJP’s coalition, with at least 150 seats.
Across the aisle, only Electoral Edge expects the Congress’ alliance to win and, even then, by five seats only, with 20 seats from smaller parties and independents in play for the BJP.
The Dainik Bhaskar, Lokshahi Marathi-Rudra, and P-Marq exit polls are on the fence, although the latter favours the Mahayuti with an upper prediction of 157 and the former the MVA with 150.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar clarified that there are no instructions to bring MLAs from Maharashtra to Karnataka, hours after Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Sanjay Raut said newly-elected MLAs will be huddled in Mumbai to avoid poaching.
Mr Shivakumar, when asked if legislators would be brought together in case of a hung assembly in the Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections tomorrow, said, “No AICC leader has contacted me regarding this matter. If they do, that’s a different issue. As of now, there are no such plans. Our only choice now is to observe the election results that will be reported in the media.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Kedar Dighe, who contested against Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in the Kopri-Pachpakhadi assembly seat in Thane, alleged irregularities in the post voting process, including storing EVMs in the observation room instead of the strong room.
Moreover, the observation room does not have CCTV coverage, he further claimed and showed some videos to reporters to buttress his allegations. “The envelopes containing postal ballots are not sealed. The Election Commission must look into these irregularities and take action against the personnel. It should order repoll in the seat,” Dighe said.
Mahayuti comprising BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP and Maha Vikas Aghadi consisting of Congress, Shiv Sena UBT and NCP-SP are engaged in a prestige battle.
In addition, the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Maharashtra Swarajya Paksha and other smaller parties have also fielded their nominees making it a multi-party contest.
There are a total of 4,136 candidates, comprising 3,771 men, 363 women and two others, in the fray.
Maharashtra Assembly Election Results 2024: Congress Appoints Observers
According to a press release issued by the AICC, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Dr G Parameshwara are the observers for Maharashtra.
Both Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde worked hard to gain supremacy in the 49 constituencies where they are locked in a direct fight. Thackeray approached the voters targeting Mr Shinde for committing treachery to gain power while Mr Shinde cornered his former boss alleging him of leaving Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray’s Hindutva by joining hands with Congress and NCP to become the chief minister.
Mr Thackeray fired salvos against Mr Shinde for following BJP’s Hindutva which he alleged was fake with a sole objective to get power. On the other hand, Mr Shinde criticised Uddhav Thackeray for joining hands with those who insult Veer Savarkar and indulge in appeasement politics.
Maharashtra Assembly election is not just a battle of prestige for the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and Eknath Shinde faction but an acid test which will decide a ‘real’ Shiv Sena in 49 constituencies where they are locked in a direct fight.
Of the 49 seats, both are pitted against each other in 19 seats from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), 11 from Mumbai district and Mumbai Suburban, eight seats each from Marathwada and Konkan, six seats from Vidarbha and four seats each from North Maharashtra and Western Maharashtra.
The fight between both factions is important as after the rebellion Eknath Shinde-led faction succeeded in getting the Shiv Sena name and the symbol bow and arrow during the court battle. On the other hand, Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena got the SS (UBT) name and flaming torch as an election symbol.
NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar alleged 25-30 BJP workers at midnight tried to enter the strong room where EVMs of Karjat-Jamkhed constituency, from where he contested, are kept.
“Around 25-30 BJP workers attempted to forcefully enter the strongroom where the EVM machines were stored at midnight in Karjat Jamkhed in in Ahilyanagar. However, my party workers, along with CRPF personnel, handled the situation patiently and foiled the attempt, for which I am thankful!” Pawar said on social media platform X.
Pawar claimed he approached police but, under the influence of the BJP, they chose to “harass us instead of cooperating”.
Mr Pawar is pitted against BJP leader and former state minister Ram Shinde in Karjat-Jamkhed.
A poster depicting NCP chief and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar as the Chief Minister in Pune was taken down. The poster was placed by party leader Santosh Nangare.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi constituents have decided to house all its newly-elected MLAs together in Mumbai after the Maharashtra election results, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said, a move aimed at preventing poaching ahead of government formation.
“We have decided to bring all newly-elected MLAs to Mumbai. New MLAs have no provision to stay in Mumbai. So we have decided to make their residential arrangements together,” he said.
Raut also expressed confidence that MVA will win at least 160 of 288 seats.
Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi chief Prakash Ambedkar said that if his party gets the required numbers in the Maharashtra assembly polls, it will choose the side that can form the government.
“If VBA gets the numbers, tomorrow, to support a party or an alliance to form the government in Maharashtra, we will choose to be with one who can form the government. We will choose power!,” wrote the leader on X.
The VBA has fielded 200 candidates in the Maharashtra assembly polls.
The Kasba Peth assembly constituency in Pune is gearing up for a fierce battle between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC). The constituency is particularly significant as the BJP seeks to reclaim its bastion from the Congress.
Pune NCP President Deepak Mankar said the victory will be theirs, owing to the alliance’s hard work and the additional strength brought by the NCP’s partnership with the BJP. Mankar said that Congress’s sitting MLA Ravindra Dhangekar had done nothing for the people except publicity stunts.
Challenges for Ravindra Dhangekar also come from senior Congress leader Kamal Vyavahare who contested as an independent candidate after the party denied her a ticket.
Kasba Peth is the smallest assembly constituency in the district, with 2,83,635 voters, compared to Chinchwad’s 6,63,622 voters–the highest in the district.
The local administration said all arrangements, including a robust three-tier security system, have been made for Saturday’s counting of votes polled in the 21 Maharashtra assembly constituencies in Pune district. The first layer is being manned by central security forces, the second by the State Reserve Police Force and the third by the state police.
Strong rooms housing EVMs are under CCTV surveillance and its footage is being made available to candidates.
The strong rooms will be opened in the presence of observers and candidates, and then the EVMs will be brought out and taken to counting tables.
A court in Baramati issued summons to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar for an alleged remark threatening water cuts in a village if it did not vote for then colleague and sitting MP Supriya Sule in the 2019 general elections.
Pawar has been asked to remain present in court on December 16, said advocate Sumesh Negulpelli, lawyer for petitioner Suresh Khopade.
A video clip of the remark, made on the eve of polling day that year, had gone viral on social media. Judicial Magistrate First Class D P Pujari issued summons after observing there was sufficient ground to take cognisance of the allegations, said Negulpelli on Thursday.
The offence is punishable under section 171-F (undue influence or personation at an election) of the Indian Penal Code, he said.
The police had filed a report stating no case was made out against Pawar, after which a protest petition was filed in court stating there was other evidence as well, Negulpelli said.
Fissures have emerged within the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on who will head the next government with constituents in both camps laying claim over the chief minister’s post.
State Congress chief Nana Patole asserted a MVA government will be formed in Maharashtra under the leadership of his party. Voting trends suggest the Congress will get the maximum number of seats in the new assembly, he said.
His remarks did not go down well with ally Shiv Sena (UBT), whose leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday insisted the chief ministerial face will be decided by all alliance partners jointly once the MVA secures majority.
All EVMs and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) devices used in Mumbai during the Maharashtra polls have been stored in strong rooms, one each in the city’s 36 constituencies.
About 10,000 personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), State Reserve Police Force (SRPF), and local police have been assigned for security arrangements at the counting centres. The strong rooms will also be under CCTV surveillance.
Across Mumbai, over 2,700 officials and staff have been deployed to count votes, which will begin on Saturday at 8 am. Postal votes will counted first followed by votes recorded by the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
Maharashtra a historic turnout – 65.11 per cent voting, which is the highest in three decades. The state witnessed 71.69 per cent polling in the 1995 elections when the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance formed the government after the Congress party under the leadership of former chief minister Sharad Pawar refused to take the reins despite emerging as the single largest party by winning 80 seats.
Women voters, especially from rural areas and towns, queued up for voting, a trend that could likely be credited to to the Mahayuti government’s Ladki Bahin Yojana.
However, some discouragement was seen in urban areas of Mumbai, Mumbai Suburban, Thane, Pune and Nagpur where the turnout was 52.07 per cent, 55.77 per cent, 56.05 per cent, 60.70 per cent and 60.49 per cent respectively against 65.11 per cent at the state level.
Ajit Pawar is up against his nephew Yugendra Pawar in Baramati ( Yugendra is the son of Ajit Pawar’s younger brother. He is also the Grand nephew of Sharad Pawar)
Eknath Shinde, seeking a fourth term, is up against rival Sena’s Kedar Dighe, who is nephew of Mr Shinde’s mentor Anand Dighe. The two will be fighting for Thane’s Kopri- Pachpakhadi seat
Worli will witness a battle of scions. Milind Deora ( from Eknath Shinde faction) will face off against Aaditya Thackeray.
Bandra East will see Zeeshan Siddique (of Ajit Pawar faction) fight against Varun Sardesai ( from Uddhav Thackeray faction), who is cousin of Aaditya Thackeray
Mahim is a triangular fight between incumbent MLA Sada Sarvankar (Team Shinde) vs Mahesh Sawant ( Team Uddhav) vs Amit Thackeray (son of MNS chief Raj Thackeray)
Devendra Fadnavis will face off against former corporator Praful Vinodrao Gudadhe of the Congress in Nagpur South West seat. The constituency has been the bastion of the BJP since 1999.
Following the 2019 assembly polls, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena broke away from NDA alliance and joined the Congress and Sharad Pawar’s NCP.
Until 1995, it was the Congress that had held sway over the state. It was the very same year that BJP and Sena joined hands to come to power. It was also the beginning of coalition politics in the state, with the Congress and NCP on one side and BJP and Sena on the other.
Shiv Sena was the founding member of the BJP-led NDA, which ruled the country in 1998.
In 2019 assembly polls, Sena was in a pre-poll alliance with BJP. It demanded the Chief Minister’s post, which it claims was promised to it by then BJP chief Amit Shah. Snubbed, Uddhav Thackeray joined hands with Congress and NCP and formed the government.
In June 2022, a group of Sena MLAs broke away from Uddhav camp. The BJP supported the rebels led by Eknath Shinde and made him the chief minister.
Ajit Pawar, facing investigation by many agencies, split his party and joined the Shinde-led government in 2023.
Election Commission has recognised the Shinde and Ajit Pawar groups as the “real” parties. Both verdicts have been challenged and are pending in Supreme Court.
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