A shell-shocked silence fell over the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) as the ruling MahaYuti alliance was all set for a landslide victory in the high-stakes Maharashtra Assembly 2024 elections, as the early trends came out by 11 a.m.
As per the initial vote count, the MVA allies Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (SP)-Shiv Sena (UBT) stared at huge reverses vis-a-vis the MahaYuti’s Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party was on a bulldozer ride in the state.
The state had cast its vote for 288 Assembly seats on November 20, and the vote count was taken up simultaneously all over.
The latest trends indicate MahaYuti leading in over 200 constituencies while the MVA allies were ahead in around 60 seats and smaller parties, Independents were holding sway in the remaining seats, although the situation could change as the counting progresses.
The first counts showed many stalwarts from the MVA side trailing over their MahaYuti rivals in many constituencies, while some newcomers or political greenhorns had built up relatively comfortable leads over their nearest contenders.
Among those leading in the trends were Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis (BJP) in Nagpur South West seat — now widely tipped to be the next CM, and Ajit Pawar (NCP) in the high-profile Baramati constituency.
Making his first comments, SS(UBT)’s MP Sanjay Raut said that “the results are absolutely unbelievable” and going contrary to the “mood of the people which we are well aware”.
He alleged various factors including huge money-power that may have aided the MahaYuti to score a spectacular lead over the MVA, though the Congress-NCP(SP) leaders have yet to make any comments.
However, several lower rung leaders of the MahaYuti, pleased by the indicators, have said that they are ‘vindicated’ by the results and the people of the state, particularly the ‘Ladki Bahins’, have taught a lesson to the MVA allies