BJP Secures Historic Win in Maharashtra, MahaYuti Alliance Bags 230 Seats
In a remarkable turn of events, the BJP has emerged as the single largest party in Maharashtra with 132 seats in the state assembly elections. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena secured second place with 58 seats, while the Ajit Pawar-led NCP clinched 41 seats. Together, the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, known as the MahaYuti, achieved an overwhelming 230 seats out of the total 288, signaling a decisive mandate.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi, which was seen as a formidable opposition, struggled to make a significant impact, failing to cross 50 seats. The Shiv Sena UBT secured 20 seats, Congress won 16, the NCP-SP alliance bagged 10, and the Samajwadi Party got 2 seats.
Ahead of the vote count, BJP had predicted a victory margin of 160 to 175 seats, while Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar had hoped for around 175 to 180 seats. The landslide victory has left even the MahaYuti leaders in surprise.
Devendra Fadnavis, who played a pivotal role in the campaign, expressed gratitude to the people, especially from Vidarbha and Nagpur, who supported the alliance despite predictions to the contrary. He thanked the people for their overwhelming support and indicated that the win was a testament to the alliance’s popularity.
The BJP’s victory marks a significant achievement, breaking its own record of 105 seats in 2019 and 122 seats in 2014. With such a strong performance, the party has positioned itself as the natural claimant for the Chief Minister’s post. While Devendra Fadnavis is the front-runner for the role, he assured that the three parties would meet to discuss and finalize the decision.
BJP’s central leadership is expected to appoint two observers for the selection of the party’s legislature party leader, and a meeting of newly elected legislators will be convened soon. The BJP-led MahaYuti is likely to stake a claim for government formation with Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan, with the swearing-in ceremony scheduled for early next week.
