New Delhi: The majority mark of the 288-seat Maharashtra assembly is 145 – the number to watch out for, for six parties today. A campaign of communal politics has helped the Mahayuti alliance to safely cross it, with the BJP close to the mark by itself.PartyWonLeadingTotalBharatiya Janata Party – BJP1320132Shiv Sena – SHS57057Nationalist Congress Party – NCP41041Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) – SHSUBT20020Indian National Congress – INC16016Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar – NCPSP10010Samajwadi Party – SP202Jan Surajya Shakti – JSS202Rashtriya Yuva Swabhiman Party – RSHYVSWBHM101Rashtriya Samaj Paksha – RSPS101All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen – AIMIM101Communist Party of India (Marxist) – CPI(M)101Peasants And Workers Party of India – PWPI101Rajarshi Shahu Vikas Aghadi – RSVA101Independent – IND202Total2880288All eyes had been on whether the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Bal Thackeray) and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) could repeat the burst of success it had in the Lok Sabha elections. That did not happen.The ruling Mahayuti alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party were in a test of their own but could not cement their status as a viable alliance.The BJP contested 149 assembly seats, Shiv Sena, 81 seats, and the NCP, 59.The Congress contested 101 seats, the Shiv Sena (UBT), 95, and NCP (SP) in 86. Much of the pre-poll drama was over seat-sharing agreements, with the Congress Maharashtra chief Nana Patole telling The Wire that he did not mind being labelled a “villain” over having fought will allies for a good deal for his party in this regard.Five constituencies – Andheri East, Andheri West, Pune Cantonment, Kandivali East, and Murbad – played a critical role in taking the BJP to victory. These so-called “bellwether” seats have consistently reflected broader electoral outcomes over the decades.There are some parties, like the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen which turned out to play key roles, according to an analysis of numbers by The Wire.Most exit polls had predicted a victory for the Mahayuti alliance.
