Maharashtra’s Lok Sabha Saga: Close Fights and Unpredictable Outcomes

Pune, 6th June 2024: In a stunning turn of events, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) secured 30 of Maharashtra’s 48 Lok Sabha seats, delivering a significant blow to the Mahayuti alliance. The elections saw intense competition, with six constituencies being decided by margins of less than 20,000 votes. Recounting was required in Mumbai North West, Dhule, and Beed due to the tight races.

The BJP suffered major setbacks, losing four key seats—three to the Congress and one to NCP-SCP—while the Shiv Sena (UBT) failed to secure two crucial constituencies, allowing their rival Shiv Sena to claim victory.

In Mumbai North West, the race was exceptionally close between Sena (UBT)’s Amol Kirtikar and Sena’s Ravindra Waikar, with Waikar narrowly winning by just 48 votes, the smallest margin in the state.

Congress candidate Shobha Bachhav defeated former Union Minister and BJP MP Subhash Bhamre in Dhule by a margin of 3,831 votes. Notably, the number of NOTA (None of the Above) votes was higher at 4,693, and the consolidation of Muslim votes against the BJP played a crucial role in Bachhav’s victory.

In Beed, BJP’s Pankaja Munde lost to NCP-SCP’s Bajrang Sonawane by 6,553 votes. Contributing factors included the Maratha reservation protests led by Manoj Jarange Patil and confusion over an independent candidate with a symbol similar to the NCP (SCP), who garnered over 50,000 votes.

The two factions of Sena also clashed in Hatkanangle, where Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s candidate and MP Dhairyasheel Mane emerged victorious, defeating Sena (UBT)’s Satyajeet Patil Sarudkar by 13,426 votes. In Amravati, Congress nominee Balwant Wankhede triumphed over BJP’s Navneet Rana by a margin of 19,731 votes.

In both Hatkanangle and Amravati, smaller parties such as Raju Shetti’s Swabhimani Paksha and Bachhu Kadu’s Prahar Janshakti Party played a spoiler role, securing 1,79,850 and 85,300 votes respectively.

Congress’s Varsha Gaikwad claimed victory in Mumbai North Central, defeating BJP’s Ujwal Nikam by 16,514 votes. Despite multiple aspirants and a delayed candidate announcement affecting the outcome, Gaikwad became the only Congress MP from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

This electoral outcome highlights the shifting political landscape in Maharashtra, as traditional strongholds are challenged by emerging dynamics and voter sentiment.