Maharashtra Results: BJP's Chandrashekhar Bawankule Retains Vidarbha Stronghold Kamthi With A Margin Of 9,000 Votes

Kamthi seat falls in the Vidarbha region, which is considered as the stronghold of the BJP. The seat recorded a voter turnout of 53.45 percent during the polling on November 20.

Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule is set to retain Kamthi, a BJP stronghold, against Congress candidate Suresh Bhoyar by a margin of 9,350 votes in the assembly elections.

Bawankule, who has received 97,547 votes is set to become the MLA for the fourth time from the Kamthi seat. Suresh Bhoyar has received 88,197 votes. 

The counting of votes in the Maharashtra assembly elections began at 8 am on Saturday, with the latest trends giving a lead to decisive lead to the Mahayuti alliance. While the ruling Mahayuti alliance has got 230 seats, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi has got 53 seats.  

Kamthi, also referred to as Kamptee, seat falls in the Vidarbha region, which is considered as the stronghold of the BJP. The seat, one of the largest constituencies in the region, recorded a voter turnout of 53.45 percent during the single phase voting on November 20.  

In the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, Bawankule was denied the Kamptee seat despite his popularity in the region. In the 2019 polls, BJP candidate Sawarkar Tekchand Shrawan won the Kamthi seat with a margin of 11,116 votes. Except for the 2019 election, Bawankule had won the Kamptee seat in 2004, 2009 and 2014, 

However, in the 2024 Lok Sabha Polls, Congress candidate Shyamkumar Barve won the parliamentary constituence, of which Kamptee is a part.

The Nagpur seat has a mixed population comprising nearly 5 lakh voters with OBC communities -- Kunbis and Telis -- making the biggest groups followed by Muslims.

The Mahayuti alliance either won or was leading in 236 seats in the 288-member assembly, an unprecedented feat in the western state if the trend holds true. On the other hand, the Maha Vikas Aghadi managed to get 48 seats in Maharashtra. 

With the BJP alone winning or leading in 133 seats in the western state where the majority mark is 145, there is a strong chatter within the party that it may finally have its own chief minister in place of Shinde, who can be given any other key role. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is being seen as a key contender for the top chair.