Maharashtra Council Elections: Mahayuti Leads in 3 Seats, MVA in 2
In the ongoing counting for Maharashtra Legislative Council seats, Mahayuti is leading in three constituencies while MVA is ahead in two.
Mahayuti leads in Pune, Amravati Teachers', and Nagpur Graduates' constituencies.
MVA is ahead in Pune and Aurangabad Graduates' constituencies.
Turnout was highest in Amravati Teachers' constituency at 91.08%.
The preliminary counting results for five Maharashtra Legislative Council seats indicate that the ruling Mahayuti alliance is leading in three constituencies, while the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is ahead in two. The counting commenced at 8 AM on Tuesday, but delays were anticipated due to the sorting of ballot papers and the significance of preferential votes, which could affect the final outcomes.
Mahayuti is currently leading in the Pune and Amravati Teachers' constituencies, as well as the Nagpur Graduates' constituency. In the Pune Teachers' constituency, BJP candidate Kaustubh Gawade is in the lead, followed by Shiv Sena-backed Sachin Sanap and independent candidate Dattatray Sawant. Congress candidate Jayant Asgaonkar is trailing in fourth place. The winning quota for these elections has been set at 25,756 votes, making second-preference votes crucial for determining the winners.
The Pune Graduates' constituency is witnessing a tight race between MVA's Harshada Deshmukh-Jadhav and Mahayuti's Dr. Smita Jadhav, with Deshmukh-Jadhav slightly ahead. In the Aurangabad Graduates' constituency, NCP candidate Pratapsinh Patil is leading Mahayuti's Satish Chavan by approximately 4,000 votes. The contest is further complicated by the presence of Thackeray-led Shiv Sena candidate Dilip Ghuge.
In Nagpur, BJP's Sudhakar Kohale is leading Congress's Abhijit Vanjari by around 4,000 votes, with independent Nitesh Karale in third place. Meanwhile, in the Amravati Teachers' constituency, Kiran Sarnaik from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena is leading after the counting of around 14,000 votes.
The counting process was delayed due to the sorting of ballot papers, which continued until the afternoon. Election officials noted that the first-preference quota was established from the valid votes before counting began, and with several prominent candidates in the fray, the second and third-preference votes are expected to significantly influence the final results. A total of 10,68,072 voters were eligible to vote across 2,419 polling stations, with the highest turnout recorded in the Amravati Teachers' constituency at 91.08%.
