Mumbai: Counting of votes for five Maharashtra Legislative Council seats began on Tuesday, with the results set to test the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance's ability to manage internal dissent and the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi's (MVA) efforts to capitalise on differences within the ruling coalition.
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A total of 182 candidates are in the fray across three graduates' and two teachers' constituencies, which together have 10,68,072 registered voters. The polling, held on October 23, recorded an overall turnout of around 72.96 per cent across 2,419 polling stations.
The contests are being closely watched amid rebel candidates, competing alliance interests and differences within both camps. The results will determine representatives for the five constituencies and provide an indication of the political strength of the parties among graduates and teachers.
In Nagpur Graduates' constituency, BJP candidate Sudhakar Kohale is challenging sitting Congress MLC Abhijit Wanjari. The BJP is seeking to reclaim the seat, which it held for nearly six decades before Wanjari won it in 2020.
In Pune Graduates' constituency, BJP nominee Smita Jadhav is contesting against NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) candidate Harshada Deshmukh-Jadhav, while Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Sunil Modi is also in the fray. The constituency has the largest electorate, with around 3.88 lakh registered voters and 47 candidates contesting the seat.
The Pune Teachers' constituency has witnessed differences within the Mahayuti alliance. BJP candidate Kaustubh Gawde is contesting against sitting Congress MLC Jayant Asgaonkar, while the Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is backing Independent candidate Sachin Sanap. Former MLC Dattatray Sawant of the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha is also contesting.
In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Graduates' constituency, sitting MLC Satish Chavan, representing the NCP led by Sunetra Pawar, is facing NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) nominee Pratapsinh Patil. Shiv Sena (UBT) has also fielded a candidate. The constituency has 41 candidates and around 3.26 lakh registered voters.
The Amravati Teachers' constituency is another contest marked by internal differences within the ruling alliance. Sitting MLC Kiran Sarnaik, the official candidate of Shinde-led Shiv Sena, is facing Congress nominee Aditi Pohare. BJP rebels Sangeeta Shinde, Shekhar Bhoyar and Sumit Pawar are also in the fray, while Shiv Sena (UBT) has fielded Dattatraya Lahane.
Amravati recorded the highest voter turnout among the five constituencies at around 92.6 per cent, followed by Pune Teachers' at 85.86 per cent, Nagpur Graduates' at 64.84 per cent, Pune Graduates' at 62.76 per cent and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Graduates' at 59.12 per cent.
The elections are being held under the Election Commission's schedule for biennial polls to the Maharashtra Legislative Council. The formal notification was issued on September 29, while the election process is scheduled to be completed by October 31. The terms of the sitting members are due to end on December 6.
The counting process will also be closely watched because the elections use a preferential voting system. If no candidate reaches the prescribed quota on the basis of first-preference votes, subsequent preference transfers may become crucial in determining the winners.
For the Mahayuti alliance, the results will indicate how effectively its partners have coordinated their electoral efforts despite rebel candidatures and competing interests. For the MVA, the outcome will provide an opportunity to assess its support among graduates and teachers and whether it has been able to benefit from divisions within the ruling alliance.
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
