Mahayuti scores big in MLC elections
The ruling Mahayuti alliance has registered a dominant victory in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections, winning 16 of the 17 seats for which results were declared on Monday. The outcome has strengthened the position of the alliance led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in the state’s political landscape.
Polling for the 17 Legislative Council seats was held on June 18, but the ruling alliance had already gained a major advantage before voting began. Six Mahayuti candidates were elected unopposed after withdrawals and seat adjustments, giving the alliance an early lead in the contest. The final result confirmed the scale of its control across local self-government bodies and its organisational advantage over the opposition.
BJP emerges as biggest winner
The BJP finished as the biggest gainer in the election, winning 11 seats. Its winning candidates included Suhas Shirshat from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar-Jalna, Avinash Brahmankar from Bhandara-Gondia, Dhairyashil Kadam from Sangli-Satara, Rajendra Raut from Solapur, Basavaraj Patil from Dharashiv-Latur-Beed, Rajiv Potdar from Nagpur, Nandkishor Mahajan from Jalgaon, Pravin Pote from Amravati and Amar Rajurkar from Nanded.
The Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde won three seats, while the Nationalist Congress Party led by Ajit Pawar secured two. Among those elected unopposed were Ravindra Phatak from Thane and Dushyant Chaturvedi from Yavatmal from Shiv Sena, Aniket Tatkare from Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg and Vikram Kakade from Pune from NCP, and Arun Lakhani from Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli and Prajakt Tanpure from Ahilyanagar from the BJP.
Nashik result brings only setback
The only seat that did not go to an official Mahayuti candidate was Nashik. Independent candidate and BJP rebel Gokul Gite defeated Shiv Sena nominee Narendra Darade, creating the lone upset in an otherwise one-sided result. Gite’s win is being seen as a setback for the Shiv Sena in the constituency and also a reminder that local-level rebellion can still affect alliance calculations.
Despite the Nashik result, the overall verdict heavily favoured Mahayuti. Winning 16 of 17 seats gives the alliance stronger numbers and morale ahead of future electoral battles in Maharashtra. It also signals that the BJP remains the dominant force within the ruling coalition, while its partners continue to benefit from the alliance structure.
Opposition says fight will continue
The result is a major blow to the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, which had already suffered an early setback after several candidates withdrew before polling. The outcome raises fresh questions about the opposition’s coordination, candidate management and ability to challenge Mahayuti in local body-linked elections.
Reacting to the results, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council Ambadas Danve said the opposition had fought well and would continue its fight to protect the Constitution. However, the numbers show that Mahayuti has taken a clear political lead in this round of elections, with the BJP-led alliance using both unopposed wins and contested victories to reinforce its grip in Maharashtra politics.
