Maharashtra election result highlights: Mahayuti wins big, bags 235 of 288 assembly seats

Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction's candidate Nilesh Rane has won from the Kudal constituency, defeating Uddhav Thackeray camp's Vaibhav Naik with a margin of over 8,000 votes.

Asked about the never-ending debate over the real Shiv Sena and the NCP, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde said, "I won't go into who is real, who is fake. But people have chosen the Shiv Sena living up to Balasaheb Thackeray's ideals".

On being asked about the next chief minister of Maharashtra, CM Eknath Shinde said at a joint press conference with his deputies, “The counting is still on. Just wait a little. There are no differences between the three parties.”

Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said, “Once the results come out, we will call all MLAs and then sit together and pick a CM.”

We have decided to bring a lot of changes in the life of the Common man, and transform them into Superman, said CM Eknath Shinde, addressing a press conference over NDA's sweeping victory over the MVA.

Addressing a press conference with his deputies Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde said, "People took these elections in their own hands, and the result of that is this historic mandate… I cannot even think of words to describe this mandate… Be it 'Laadki behna' or 'Laadka bhai', all our schemes have received a thumbs up… The voters have delivered a mandate that I bow down to them.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said in a press conference, “We bow down to the people of Maharashtra, but this victory is going to increase the responsibility on us. We thank all the voters who gave us this success.”

Going by the current status of wins and leads, the BJP-led NDA, also known as the Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra, is on course to bag over 220 seats in the Assembly elections, for which the majority mark is 145.

Reacting to NDA's sweeping victory, NCP leader Ajit Pawar said in a press conference, “Opposition wanted the elections to be conducted using EVMs. But these were the same machines which were used during Lok Sabha polls… We did not say anything when we lost the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra.”

Reacting to NDA's sweeping victory, NCP leader Ajit Pawar said in a press conference that all the leaders, workers and ministers of Mahayuti worked hard, adding that the alliance brought policies that it felt would benefit people.

“These policies were criticised, but they became so popular that everybody (the opposition) fell flat. When their (Opposition's) promises came out, we saw that they were using our promises only… After this mandate, the onus is on us to live up to it… We promise you, we will keep our feet on the ground and not take this victory for granted,” Ajit Pawar said.

Maharashtra Deputy CM said the Ladki Bahin Yojana was a ‘gamechanger’, adding that never in the state such a victory has been registered in the past.

Congress leader Nana Patole is trailing from the Sakoli seat by a margin of just a little over 100 votes, with BJP's Avinash Anandrao Brahmankar at the first spot.

Congress candidate Ramdas Maluji Masram has won from the Armori seat, while Shiv Sena (UBT) has also registered its first win with Haroon Khan bagging the Versova seat.

Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar candidate Rohit Pawar is leading with a slim margin of 285 votes over Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ram Shankar Shinde.

At 26.19 per cent, BJP has logged its second best performance in terms of vote share in this election so far. In 2014, the BJP got 27.81 per cent vote share with 122 seats. The vote share of BJP is likely to change results are more seats are announced.

When asked who will be the next CM of Maharashtra, Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis says, "There will be no dispute on the CM's face. It was decided from day one that after the elections, the leaders of the three parties will sit together and decide on this. The decision will be acceptable to everyone, there is no dispute on this."

Reacting to the thumping victory of the NDA and the question of who will be the next chief minister of the state, Maharashtra CM and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde said, "Let the final results come in...Then, in the same way as we fought elections together, all three parties will sit together and take a decision."

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Varun Satish Sardesai is leading from the Vandre East seat over NCP's Zeeshan Siddique with a margin of more than 7,400 votes.

Aaditya Thackeray of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) is leading by over 8,000 votes, with Shiv Sena (Shinde camp) leader Milind Deora at the second spot.

The Election Commission of India has declared result for 18 seats so far.

Winning candidates:

-BJP

SHAHADA - RAJESH UDESING PADVI

AKOLA EAST - RANDHIR PRALHADRAO SAWARKAR

GHATKOPAR EAST - PARAG SHAH

WADALA - KALIDAS NILKANTH KOLAMBKAR

SHIRDI - PATIL VIKHE RADHAKRUSHNA EKNATHRAO

SATARA - SHIVENDRARAJE ABHAYSINHRAJE BHONSLE

KANKAVLI - NITESH NARAYAN RANE

PUNE CANTONMENT - KAMBLE SUNIL DYANDEV

-Shiv Sena

PALGHAR - GAVIT RAJENDRA DHEDYA

BHIWANDI RURAL - SHANTARAM TUKARAM MORE

MAHAD - GOGAWALE BHARAT MARUTI

NEVASA - VITTHAL VAKILRAO LANGHE

SAWANTWADI - DEEPAK VASANTRAO KESARKAR

-NCP

AMALNER - ANIL BHAIDAS PATIL

NIPHAD - BANKAR DILIPRAO SHANKARRAO

DINDORI - NARAHARI SITARAM ZIRWAL

SHRIVARDHAN - ADITI SUNIL TATKARE

-NCPSP

MADHA - ABHIJEET DHANANJAY PATIL

BJP leader Nitesh Rane has won from the Kankavli seat, defeating Sandesh Bhaskar Parkar of the Shiv Sena (UBT). Nitesh Rane is the son of former Maharashtra chief minister Narayan Rane.

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) candidate Mahesh Baliram Sawant is leading from the Mahim seat by a margin of 3,683 votes over Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena's Sada Sarvankar.

Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar is leading from the Baramati seat by over 60,000 votes against his nephew and Sharad Pawar-led NCP faction's candidate Yugendra Pawar.

As per the current figures from the Election Commission of India (ECI), following are the current leads:

Bharatiya Janata Party - BJP: 123

Shiv Sena - SHS: 54

Nationalist Congress Party - NCP: 37

Indian National Congress - INC: 22

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) - SHSUBT: 18

Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar - NCPSP: 12

Communist Party of India (Marxist) - CPI(M): 2

Samajwadi Party - SP: 2

Jan Surajya Shakti - JSS: 2

Rashtriya Yuva Swabhiman Party - RSHYVSWBHM: 1

Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) - ASPKR: 1

All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen - AIMIM: 1

Indian Secular Largest Assembly of Maharashtra - DISECL: 1

Peasants And Workers Party of India - PWPI: 1

Rajarshi Shahu Vikas Aghadi - RSVA: 1

Independent - IND: 5

Apart from this, the BJP, Shiv Sena and the NCP have won two seats each.

Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde is leading by a huge margin of over 70,000, with Kedar Prakash Dighe of the Shiv Sena (UBT) at the second spot.

Gavit Rajendra Dhedya of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has won the Palghar seat by defeating the next rival by a margin of 40,337 votes.

Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction's Bankar Diliprao Shankarrao has won the Niphad seat.