Nationalist Congress Party chief Ajit Pawar is trailing behind Yugendra Pawar of NCP (Sharad Pawar) in the early trends of vote counting for the Maharashtra Election. Currently, postal votes are being counted. EVM counting will begin at 8.30 AM.
The two leaders contested the Pawar bastion Baramati. The constituency recorded a voter turnout of 71.57%.
The final turnout figure in Maharashtra was pegged at 66.05%, which is the highest in 30 years.
The Maharashtra Assembly elections for all 288 seats were held in a single phase on November 20. Both Mahayuti and the Mahavikas Aghadi launched fierce campaigns against one another.
This was one of the most crucial elections in the history of Maharashtra's assembly as it follows two years of political turmoil. Two of the biggest parties in the state, the Shiv Sena and the NCP, split after surprising rebellions by the leaders closest to the chiefs of the respective parties. Both Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar were shell-shocked after their aides Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar orchestrated rebellions to secure the CM and Deputy CM's seats, respectively. While the Shiv Sena split in 2022, the NCP split in 2023.
In this election, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance sought to maintain its hold on power, while the opposition coalition, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), aimed to build on its recent successes in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra.