After a single-day of polling across 288 assembly constituencies, the Election Commission of India will be declaring the results of the Maharashtra assembly elections today. The counting of votes is set to begin from 8 AM onwards.

Maharashtra recorded a voter turnout of 65.11 percent for the 2024 assembly elections. While the turnout may seem low for a state with 9.7 crore eligible voters, this number stands as Maharashtra's highest turnout since 1995.

Nearly 30 years ago, Maharashtra recorded a voter turnout of 71.7 percent during the 1995 assembly elections. Since then, the turnout has been on a decline in the western state.

However, with the 2024 polls, which came after five years of political turmoil and splits, Maharashtra stepped out and voted.

The 2024 voter turnout has also surpassed the Lok Sabha turnout of June 2024 which stood at 61.39 percent. Read the full story here

For the 2024 elections, a total of 4,140 candidates are in the fray, including incumbent Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Congress' Nana Patole, Shiv Sena UBT's Aaditya Thackeray and many more. Here is a look at the key candidates in the fray –

• Devendra Fadnavis, BJP, Nagpur South West

• Eknath Shinde, Shiv Sena (Shinde), Kopari-Pachpakhadi

• Ajit Pawar NCP (Ajit Pawar) and Yugendra Pawar (NCP Sharad Pawar), Baramati constituency

• Aditya Thackeray Shiv Sena (UBT) and Milind Deora (Shiv Sena Shinde), Worli constituency

• Nawab Mallik, NCP, Anushakti Nagar

• Abdul Sattar, Shiv Sena (Shinde), Sillod Assembly seat in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar district

• Amit Deshmukh, Congress, Latur

• Chandrashekhar Bawankule, BJP State President, Kamthi constituency, Nagpur

• Nitesh Rane, BJP, Kankavali constituency

• Balasaheb Thorat, Congress, Sangamner constituency

• Nana Patole, Congress State President, Sakoli constituency

• Sudhir Mungantiwar, BJP, Ballarpur constituency

• Rohit Pawar (NCP Sharad Pawar), Karjat-Jamkhed constituency

For the 2024 elections, Shiv Sena led by incumbent CM Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar’s NCP has formed an alliance with the national party BJP to form the Mahayuti alliance. The Mahayuti alliance came to power following the 2022 split of Shiv Sena.

Opposing the Mahayuti alliance is the Maha Vikas Aghadi which comprises Sharad Pawar’s NCP and Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray. These two factions have further teamed up with the Indian National Congress for the 2024 polls.

With 288 seats at stake, the winning party or alliance needs a total of 145 seats to secure the majority and stake their claim to form the new government.

One of the key constituencies in Maharashtra is Worli where Aaditya Thackeray (Shiv Sena UBT), Milind Deora (Shinde Sena) and Sandeep Deshpande (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena) are contesting for the high-profile assembly seat in Mumbai.

In Worli, Aaditya Thackeray made a historic debut with 89.248 votes. The Shiv Sena candidate gained recognition for his hands-on work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Up against Thackeray is Milind Deora, former MP from South Mumbai. Deora is banking on votes from the urban middle-class voters. Sandeep Deshpande from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena is also in the running.

While the voter base for Deshpande is small, the MNS Leader is known for his focus on local issues such as housing and infrastructure.

Along with the Maharashtra assembly polls, the elections for Nanded Lok Sabha seats were also held. The by-poll was held after the parliamentary seat was following Congress MP Vasantrao Chavan's death.

In the key district, the battle is now between the BJP and Congress. From Congress - Ravindra Chavan, Vasantrao’s son is contesting for the seat and from the BJP - Santuk Hambarde, the party's district president is running.

This is the first time in 25 years that the Lok Sabha by-poll and the assembly election were held simultaneously in Nanded. The result for the Lok Sabha seat will also be declared by the Election Commission on Saturday.

In Kopri-Pachpakhadi, its a Sena vs Sena battle.

Incumbent Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is up against the nephew of his political mentor - Kedar Dighe. 

During his political career, Shinde has cited Anand Dighe as a "guiding figure". With the contest against his nephew, Shinde is expected to maintain his stronghold in the Thane seat.

Eknath Shinde was elected in 2004 and since then has won three consecutive terms in the restructured constituency.

Read more on the battle for Kopri-Pachpakhadi here

For the Maharashtra assembly polls 2024, the key battle is between the BJP-led Mahayuti and the Maha Vikas Aghadi of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar's NCP.

The Mahayuti alliance has stated that if they win and secure a fresh five years as the state government, incumbent Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will be sworn in as the next CM.

However, if MVA wins, the Congress-led alliance has stated that the chief ministerial candidate will be jointly decided by the alliance and then announced.

Sharad Pawar's grandnephew Yugendra Pawar will be challenging Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar for the Baramati seat. The competition is expected to be a tough one due to Ajit Pawar's stronghold in the constituency. The NCP leader has held the Baramati seat for seven consecutive years since 1991 and is now seeking an eighth term.

Yugendra Pawar, however, has been backed by Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule as they hope for a win for the SP faction.

The counting of votes is now underway! The results of the Maharashtra state elections will be declared by ECI today for all 288 assembly constituencies and the Nanded Lok Sabha seat.

For the Maharashtra assembly elections 2024, there are several key battles to watch out for. One of them is the battle for the Aheri seat.

Sitting Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator Dharamraobaba Aatram Bhagwantrao, representing the Ajit Pawar faction is up against his daughter Bhagyashree Dharamraobaba Aatram, who is contesting from the rival NCP faction led by Sharad Pawar, 

Aheri, located in the tribal-majority Gadchiroli district, is a Scheduled Tribe (ST) constituency known for its cultural and religious diversity. 

While Exit Polls for the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections had shown mixed projections, with most pollsters predicting an edge for the Mahayuti alliance (BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar's NCP), the faction has come out strong opening with 39 leads at 8:30am as compared to the MVA’s seven.

Earlier, polls had estimated that Mahayuti would secure 119 to 186 seats. Maha Vikas Aghadi (Congress, NCP's Sharad Pawar faction, and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena) is projected to secure 69 to 155 seats. Others may capture 2 to 29 seats. Vote counting is underway.

A central figure in the Maharashtran political scene, Devendra Fadnavis has taken the lead in the vote count from Nagpur South West as of 8;48am. As the Deputy Chief Minister under the BJP-Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) coalition, Fadvanis carries influencef beyond his constituency, and his win could be a sign of a Mahayuti sweep in these elections.

Fadnavis ran a campaign centred around development. In many rallies he reiterated his vision for Maharashtra to become a $1 trillion economy. His promises included boosting infrastructure, attracting investment, and supporting economic growth under Shinde's leadership?.

Though he faced some criticism over his 2019 handling of the Maha political crisis, his early lead shows that Fadnavis still has a stronghold among the people in his constituency.

As per the latest trends from the Election Commission of India, the Mahayuti alliance is in the lead.

As of 9 AM, Shinde Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party have three leads each. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party and NCP Sharad Pawar have one lead each.

CM Eknath Shinde has become pivotal to Maharashtra politics after the 2019 political crisis— his defection from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena in 2022. Shinde led a faction that aligned with the BJP and is widely considered the architect of the MVA government’s collapse after which he assumed the role of Chief Minister in June 2022.

His campaign ismarked by pushing his faction as the "real" Shiv Sena. This was solidified in 2023 when the Election Commission recognised his group as the legitimate claimant to the party's name and symbol.

In 2024, he campaigned on an anti-corruption agenda, calling the MVA a "Maha Vasooli Aghadi" (a coalition of extortionists) in an attempt to discredit them. His early lead indicates that his pro-development agenda along with the introduction of women-centric schemes such as such as the Ladki Bahin Yojana have had some impact on voters.

As per the early trends from ECI, Aaditya Thackeray is in the lead in Worli.

In the high-profile Mumbai seat, Thackeray, who enjoyed a landslide victory in 2019, is up against Milind Deora, former MP from South Mumbai. Deora is banking on votes from the urban middle-class voters. Sa

Sandeep Deshpande from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena is also in the running. While the voter base for Deshpande is small, the MNS Leader is known for his focus on local issues such as housing and infrastructure.

In the Vandre East seat, Zeeshan Siddique is currently trailing.

Siddique, who has support from the Muslim community and was expected to gain more votes due to the recent murder of his father Baba Siddique last month, is currently trailing behind Varun Sardesai.

Varun Sardesai, is the nephew of Uddhav Thackeray and since the split in 2022, Varun has managed to tap into Shiv Sena's traditional voter base.

In Maharashtra, the Mahayuti alliance is in the lead with 218 as the Maha Vikas Aghadi trails behind with 59 seats.

With a lead for Mahayuti, the BJP led alliance is expecting to retain its term as the state government.

In the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, it’s completely de-ideologised politics at play. There are six main parties in the fray in two coalitions—the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Shiv Sena (Shinde) and the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) as Mahayuti, and the Indian National Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) as Maha Vikas Aghadi—and there are six smaller parties allied with these two coalitions.

There are a few more non-aligned parties like the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and others. There are also rebels or ‘vote cutters’ from all parties; there are ‘proxy candidates’ and finally, independents, whose number has skyrocketed in this election like never before.

Read more on the role of ideology in Maharashtra politics here.

"I see a big conspiracy in this"

Congress' Sanjay Raut has alleged that there is a bigger conspiracy at play as all poll trends that show a lead for the Mahayuti alliance in the Maharashtra assembly elections.

"I see a big conspiracy in this...This is not a mandate of Marathi 'manoos' and farmers. We do not accept this as people's mandate. Something is fishy in the election results," Raut added.

"How can all MLAs of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde win? How can Ajit Pawar, whose betrayal angered Maharashtra, win?" the Rajya Sabha MP asked.

As per early trends, Mahayuti alliance has crossed the majority mark and is expected to return as the state government. The Maha Vikas Aghadi is trailing behind.

The counting of votes is underway across all 288 seats in Maharashtra. As per the latest trends on ECI, here is where the alliances stand -

Mahayuti Alliance -

• BJP - 124 Leads

• Shinde Sena - 56 Leads

• NCP Ajit Pawar - 36 Leads

MVA Alliance -

• Congress - 20 Leads

• Shiv Sena (UBT) - 19 Leads

• NCP Sharad Pawar - 15 Leads.

In Latur, it's a Congress versus BJP battle.

In this key constituency, Amit Deshmukh, the three-term Congress MLA and son of former Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh is up against Archana Patil Chakurkar, a BJP candidate and the daughter-in-law of former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil Chakurkar.

In this seat, the Deshmukh family, a key ally for Congress, has maintained a stronghold in the region. However, with Archana Chakurkar in the mix, its now a battle of the dynasties.

As per the result on ECI, BJP's Dr Archana Patil Chakurkar is in the lead with nearly 25,000 votes.

As the counting of the votes continues, the Bharatiya Janata Party has recorded its first win. As per Election Commission of India,
Kalidas Nilkanth Kolambkar has won from the seat of Wadala.

The BJP continues to lead in 125 seats.

As per the latest numbers from the Election Commission of India, the Mahayuti alliance continues to maintain its lead.

Mahayuti Alliance

BJP - 125 Leads, One Seat Won

Shinde Sena - 55 leads

NCP Ajit Pawar - 39 leads

MVA Alliance

Congress - 21 leads

Shiv Sena (UBT) - 18 leads

NCP Sharad Pawar - 12 leads

Deputy CM Ajit Pawar is contesting the race from Baramati, where he faces his nephew Yugendra. Ajit Pawar has won the Baramati constituency seven times and is currently seeking an eight term.

After joining the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance and the 2023 NCP, Ajit Pawar took over Baramati from his uncle Sharad Pawar.

As per the current data, Ajit Pawar continues to lead in Baramati by a margin of 53,000 votes.

The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is all set to sweep Maharashtra. As per the early trends and the ECI results, BJP, Shinde Sena and NCP are in the lead.

As per ECI data, the Mahayuti alliance has a total of 127, 56, and 39 leads, respectively.

As per the latest trends on ECI, Sharad Pawar's faction of the Nationalist Congress Party has recorded its worst performance ever. As of 2 PM, the NCP-SP was secured 13 ;leads of 288 after contesting 87 seats.

This comes six months after the party's success in the Lok Sabha elections where it found a strike rate of 80 percent.

Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah on Saturday called Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and congratulated him on the party's impressive performance in the Maharashtra assembly elections.

The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is on course to retain power in Maharashtra, as per the latest figures by the Election Commission. Sources close to Fadnavis confirmed that Shah called and congratulated him for the party's strong performance in the November 20 elections. (PTI Inputs)

In Outlook's December 1, 2024 issue, Who is the Outsider?, the magazine, Barkha Mathur had explored the Ebb and flow of Marathi 'Asmita' in Maharashtra politics, while Shweta Desai had touched upon Eknath Shinde's age of betrayal of the Thackerays.

In August 2022, with its issue Minimum Mumbai, the Outlook magazine looked into the Maharashtra split and its consequences. Kumar Ketkar highlighted how the Shiv Sena abandoned its pre-poll alliance to form a government with Congress and NCP and how the BJP is eyeing to topple it and grab India's financial capital. Also, Ajeet Kumar Pankaj wrote about how Shinde's return to Shiv Sena affected Uddhav Thackeray's efforts to take Shiv Sena in a new direction. 

You can read more stories about the issue of Minimum Mumbai and Who is the Outsider?

In Maharashtra, the key battle for the assembly is between the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance and the Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party.

The incumbent Mahayuti government, led by CM Eknath Shinde, are hoping to retain power. However, Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (SP) are hopeful of a strong comeback.

Full Winners List Here

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday congratulated the BJP-led Mahayuti Alliance on securing a historic mandate in Maharashtra.

In a post on X, Naidu said the imminent victory reflects people's continued trust in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi whose strategic vision, and policies are paving the way for a “Viksit Bharat” to emerge.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said on Saturday that there is no dispute over the chief minister's post, and the leadership of Mahayuti will collectively decide the matter. This comes as the BJP-led coalition is poised for a landslide victory in the Maharashtra assembly polls.

Speaking to reporters, Fadnavis said the election results show the state's support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and expressed gratitude to women voters. He added that the opposition’s strategy had been "foiled by the masses."

Addressing calls from some BJP leaders for him to take up the CM's role, Fadnavis reiterated that there is no conflict within Mahayuti, which comprises the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP. “Leaders of the Mahayuti alliance will decide on the next CM,” he said in Mumbai.

Unlike his rivals, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde did not launch his election campaign with dusty rallies, chest-thumping speeches or fiery public confrontations with political opponents. The former autorickshaw driver, who fought his way from Thane’s subaltern corners to the top of Maharashtra’s political ladder, could well have started his electoral outreach much before his allies and rivals on the silver screen. READ FULL STORY HERE

Former minister and sitting Congress MLA Yashomati Thakur lost the Teosa assembly seat in Amravati district to BJP’s Rajesh Wankhede by a margin of 7,974 votes. Wankhede secured 99,099 votes, while three-time MLA Thakur received 91,125 votes after 23 rounds of counting, an election official reported.

In the Achalpur constituency, Prahar Janshakti Party's four-time MLA Bachchu Kadu was defeated by BJP’s Pravin Tayade by 12,131 votes. Tayade garnered 78,201 votes, while Kadu managed 66,070 votes.

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), led by Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi, is leading in one constituency in Maharashtra but losing ground in other key areas. The party has lost the Dhule City seat, which it won in 2019.

This year, the AIMIM fielded 16 candidates in the state — a decrease from the 44 it contested in the previous assembly election. In 2019, the party secured two seats: Malegaon Central and Dhule City.

Earlier this year, Owaisi stated that his party had reached out to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) — comprising the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar), and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) — with a proposal to join the alliance to challenge the BJP-led Mahayuti. However, he revealed that the MVA did not respond to the overtures, prompting AIMIM to contest the election independently.

Despite fielding fewer candidates this time, AIMIM’s projected tally is unlikely to surpass the single seat it currently holds.

In contrast, the Mahayuti alliance — comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP — is on track for a resounding victory, leading in over 200 seats. Meanwhile, the MVA appears to be heading for a significant defeat, with leads in just over 50 constituencies.

As the ruling Mahayuti heads towards a landslide victory, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X  to thanks the voters, especially the youth and women of Maharashtra, for a "historic mandate to the NDA"

"Development wins! Good governance wins! United we will soar even higher! Heartfelt gratitude to my sisters and brothers of Maharashtra, especially the youth and women of the state, for a historic mandate to the NDA. This affection and warmth is unparalleled. I assure the people that our Alliance will keep working for Maharashtra’s progress. Jai Maharashtra!" his post on X read.

The NOTA (None of the Above) option attracted minimal support in the Maharashtra assembly elections. According to Election Commission (EC) data, less than one percent (0.75 percent) of voters chose the NOTA option across the state’s 288 seats.

Introduced in 2013, the NOTA option on electronic voting machines (EVMs) is represented by a ballot paper with a black cross. The EC added the NOTA button to the EVMs as the last option on the voting panel following a Supreme Court order in September 2013. Prior to this ruling, voters who did not wish to select any candidate could fill out Form 49-O.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday expressed gratitude to the people of Maharashtra for the "historic victory" of the Mahayuti alliance in the state polls.

"Jai Maharashtra! Heartfelt gratitude to the people of Maharashtra for this historic mandate," the Union minister said in a post on X in Hindi and Marathi. Maharashtra, the holy land of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Jyotiba Phule and Veer Savarkar, has always kept culture and nation supreme along with development, the senior BJP leader said.

"By giving such a huge mandate to the Mahayuti alliance amidst illusion and lies, the people have closed the shops of those who are fake well-wishers of the Constitution. This victory is the victory of every Maharashtra resident," he said.