Maharashtra polls: In a BJP vs Congress, Sena vs Sena, NCP vs NCP contest, NDA comes out on top

The Mahayuti alliance is heading towards a decisive victory, leading in 216 out of 288 seats in the assembly election. BJP alone is ahead in 127 constituencies

Mumbai: The ruling Mahayuti alliance, Maharashtra's version of the National Democratic Alliance, is heading towards a decisive victory, leading in 216 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alone is ahead in 127 constituencies. The opposition coalition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leads in 51 seats, while others are ahead in 20 seats.

The NDA or Mahayuti alliance crossed the majority mark of 145 in early trends within two hours of counting (PTI/File)

The election represented not only a contest between the ruling Mahayuti and opposition MVA but also a battle between two national parties — Congress and BJP — as well as between two factions each of the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which split in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

As of 11am, with counting in progress for the November 20 election, trends are available for 287 seats.

Within the Mahayuti alliance, the BJP maintains a substantial lead over its coalition partners. While the BJP leads in 127 seats, chief minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena is ahead in 54, and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar's NCP shows a lead in 35 constituencies. In the MVA camp, Congress leads in 20 seats, Shiv Sena (UBT) in 18, and NCP (SP) in 13.

The outgoing assembly saw the ruling Mahayuti holding 186 seats amongst its three allies, with additional support from more than 20 smaller parties and independents. Current trends suggest the alliance is poised to surpass its previous tally.

In the 75 constituencies where BJP faced Congress directly, the BJP (127) significantly outperforms Congress (20).

Shinde's Shiv Sena and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) competed in 53 constituencies, with Shiv Sena leading in 55 seats compared to Shiv Sena (UBT)'s 18. Similarly, Pawar's NCP and Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) contested 39 constituencies, with NCP leading in 35 seats against NCP (SP)'s 13.

Among the major parties, BJP contested 149 seats, Congress 101, Shiv Sena 81, and NCP 59. Shiv Sena (UBT) fielded candidates in 95 constituencies, whilst NCP (SP) contested 86 seats.