The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance aims to enhance its position after already winning five seats uncontested. Although elections were initially scheduled for 17 seats, polling is only occurring in 12 constituencies following the ruling alliance’s unopposed victories in five seats.
The Mahayuti coalition, which includes the BJP, the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, and the faction of NCP led by Sunetra Pawar, entered the elections with a beneficial lead. The alliance secured uncontested wins in Pune, Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Thane, Yavatmal, and Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli constituencies.
Attention is now directed toward critical battlegrounds where the ruling alliance confronts challenges from the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). A highly watched contest is in the Satara-Sangli constituency, where BJP candidate Dhairyasheel Kadam faces off against NCP (SP) nominee Abhaysinh Jagtap.
This seat had previously exposed tensions within the Mahayuti alliance, as some Shiv Sena leaders raised concerns about seat-sharing agreements. However, fears of a split in alliance votes diminished when rebel candidate Tanajirao Patil withdrew from the race, resulting in a direct contest between the two primary candidates.
Political dynamics also garnered attention in Nashik, where BJP leader Gokul Gite ran as an Independent against the official Shiv Sena candidate, Narendra Darade, from the alliance.
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This situation elicited intervention from senior Mahayuti leaders, including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, BJP minister Girish Mahajan, and Shiv Sena minister Uday Samant. After discussions, Gite halted his campaign, although his name will remain on the ballot as the withdrawal deadline has passed.
On the other hand, the opposition encountered its own challenges. In Amravati, Congress candidate Harshjit Deshmukh withdrew from the race due to health issues, leading to accusations from Congress leader Yashomati Thakur, who claimed he had been ‘managed’ by rival parties. The friction between Congress and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi over candidate support also became apparent during the campaign.
The ruling alliance’s position was further fortified by the withdrawal of several opposition candidates in various constituencies, allowing for numerous uncontested victories for Mahayuti nominees.
In Nanded, three candidates are competing for the local authorities’ constituency, where 452 voters are eligible to vote. In the Osmanabad-Latur-Beed constituency, BJP candidate Basavaraj Patil Murumkar is up against Congress nominee Mahesh Deshmukh, with 367 voters eligible to participate.
The counting of votes is scheduled for Monday, June 22.
