Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut accused the ruling Mahayuti alliance of manipulating the election results, claiming that seats were “stolen” from the opposition after early trends showed the BJP-led alliance closing in on a landslide victory in the state, with a lead in 221 seats. The BJP alone is ahead in 128 constituencies, leaving the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) trailing far behind with leads in just 52 seats. The emerging results indicate a shift in Maharashtra’s political landscape, but not without controversy.
“Is it possible that Shinde gets 60 seats, Ajit Pawar gets 40 seats and BJP gets 125 seats? The people of this state are not dishonest,” he said.
BJP leader Pravin Darekar quickly countered Raut’s allegations, defending the alliance’s performance as a reflection of public trust. He emphasised that Maharashtra would thrive under a BJP-led government aligned with the Centre.
“When the state and Centre have a BJP government, Maharashtra progresses. These results reflect the people’s will,” Darekar said.
BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla echoed a similar sentiment, asking whether there was something fishy happening in Jharkhand, as trends showed the INDIA bloc leading in the state. Poonawalla said that the opposition starts blaming the constitutional institutions whenever it’s close to losing elections.
Trends show the INDIA bloc is leading in 51 seats while the NDA is leading in 29 seats in the state.
“Sanjay Raut is a person suffering from mental bankruptcy, no one takes him seriously in Maharashtra. Many times, he is also called a joker, and today he is talking like a joker. The results in Wayanad are fine, INDIA alliance feels that they will win in Jharkhand, EVM is fine there, EVM was fine in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
Early trends showed the Mahayuti leading in almost all the high-voltage contest seats. Trends showed Shiv Sena leader Milind Deora leading Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray for the Worli seat, albeit by a slender margin.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is leading in Nagpur South West, with trends showing Congress candidate Prafulla Gudhade emerging as second best.
Fahad Ahmad, actor Swara Bhasker’s husband and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) candidate, is leading in Anushakti Nagar. NCP veteran Nawab Malik’s daughter Sana Malik is trailing from the seat.
Former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique’s son, Zeeshan Siddique, who joined the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar ahead of the elections, is trailing in Bandra East.
Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule has fallen behind in Kamthi after having earlier taken a lead with over 5,000 votes. However, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who has held the Baramati Assembly seat since 1999, is leading NCP (SP) candidate Yugendra Pawar.
Author: VS NEWS DESK
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