The counting of votes for the high-stakes biennial election to 11 council seats in Maharashtra has concluded. The ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising BJP, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde), and NCP (Ajit Pawar), clinched nine out of the nine seats it contested.
From the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), Milind Narvekar, close aide of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, and Congress candidate Pradnya Satav emerged victorious in the biennial elections.
Among the winners, BJP secured five seats, while Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP secured two seats each.
The voting for the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) election was held at the Vidhan Bhavan complex in south Mumbai from 9 am to 4 pm, despite opposition parties’ request for an extension due to heavy rains in the financial capital.
A total of 12 candidates contested for the 11 seats in the Upper House, with the 274 members of the Legislative Assembly constituting the electoral college.
Ten candidates, including BJP’s Pankaja Munde, Parinay Phuke, Amit Gorkhe, Yogesh Tilekar, and Sadabhav Khot, have emerged victorious in the Maharashtra MLC elections. Counting for the remaining seat is currently underway.
Notable winners include MLCs from Ajit Pawar’s party – Rajesh Vitekar and Shivajirao Garje, along with Shiv Sena’s Bhavana Gawli.
Jayant Patil, supported by Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), lost the election.