The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra, which includes Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s NCP, along with the saffron party, rebounded from a disappointing general election result with a big win in the MLC polls. The BJP fielded five candidates, all of whom won. The Shinde Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP named two candidates each, and all four secured victory.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising the Congress and the factions of the Sena and NCP led by Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar—formed after the rebellions by Mr. Shinde and Mr. Pawar—fielded three candidates also MVA secured all Three seats.
The BJP, which fielded five candidates, has 103 MLAs, securing four seats while falling 12 votes short for the fifth. The Shinde Sena, with 37 MLAs, was nine votes short, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, with 39 MLAs, was seven votes short. Overall, the Mahayuti alliance was short by 28 votes to win the nine seats it contested.