What is the story about?
Voting is currently underway for 12 seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Council from local authorities' constituencies. Polling began at 8 am on Thursday, June 18, and will continue until 4 pm, with members of local self-government bodies across the state casting their votes.
The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is aiming to further strengthen its position after already securing five seats unopposed. While elections were originally announced for 17 seats, contests are taking place in only 12 constituencies after candidates backed by the ruling alliance won five seats without opposition.
The BJP-led Mahayuti coalition, comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the NCP faction headed by Sunetra Pawar, entered the polls with an early advantage. The alliance had already secured uncontested victories in constituencies including Pune, Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Thane, Yavatmal and Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli.
Attention is now focused on several key battlegrounds where the ruling alliance faces challenges from the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). One of the most closely watched contests is in the Satara-Sangli constituency, where BJP candidate Dhairyasheel Kadam is taking on NCP (SP) nominee Abhaysinh Jagtap.
The seat had briefly exposed cracks within the Mahayuti alliance after some Shiv Sena leaders expressed dissatisfaction over seat-sharing arrangements. However, concerns over a split in alliance votes subsided after rebel candidate Tanajirao Patil withdrew from the race, turning it into a direct contest between the two main candidates.
Political developments also drew attention in Nashik, where BJP leader Gokul Gite entered the fray as an Independent against the alliance's official Shiv Sena candidate Narendra Darade.
The move prompted intervention from senior Mahayuti leaders, including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, BJP minister Girish Mahajan, Shiv Sena minister Uday Samant. Following discussions, Gite suspended his campaign, although his name remains on the ballot paper as the withdrawal deadline had passed.
Meanwhile, the opposition camp faced its own challenges. In Amravati, Congress candidate Harshjit Deshmukh withdrew from the contest citing health reasons. The move sparked allegations from Congress leader Yashomati Thakur who alleged he had been ‘managed’ by rival parties. Differences between the Congress and the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi over candidate support also became visible during the campaign.
The ruling alliance's position was also strengthened by the withdrawal of several opposition candidates across constituencies. These withdrawals paved the way for multiple uncontested victories for Mahayuti nominees.
In Nanded, three candidates are contesting for the local authorities' constituency, where 452 voters are eligible to cast their ballots. In the Osmanabad-Latur-Beed constituency, BJP candidate Basavaraj Patil Murumkar faces Congress nominee Mahesh Deshmukh, with 367 voters eligible to participate.
The counting of votes is scheduled to take place on Monday, June 22.
The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is aiming to further strengthen its position after already securing five seats unopposed. While elections were originally announced for 17 seats, contests are taking place in only 12 constituencies after candidates backed by the ruling alliance won five seats without opposition.
The BJP-led Mahayuti coalition, comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the NCP faction headed by Sunetra Pawar, entered the polls with an early advantage. The alliance had already secured uncontested victories in constituencies including Pune, Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Thane, Yavatmal and Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli.
Attention is now focused on several key battlegrounds where the ruling alliance faces challenges from the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). One of the most closely watched contests is in the Satara-Sangli constituency, where BJP candidate Dhairyasheel Kadam is taking on NCP (SP) nominee Abhaysinh Jagtap.
The seat had briefly exposed cracks within the Mahayuti alliance after some Shiv Sena leaders expressed dissatisfaction over seat-sharing arrangements. However, concerns over a split in alliance votes subsided after rebel candidate Tanajirao Patil withdrew from the race, turning it into a direct contest between the two main candidates.
Political developments also drew attention in Nashik, where BJP leader Gokul Gite entered the fray as an Independent against the alliance's official Shiv Sena candidate Narendra Darade.
The move prompted intervention from senior Mahayuti leaders, including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, BJP minister Girish Mahajan, Shiv Sena minister Uday Samant. Following discussions, Gite suspended his campaign, although his name remains on the ballot paper as the withdrawal deadline had passed.
Meanwhile, the opposition camp faced its own challenges. In Amravati, Congress candidate Harshjit Deshmukh withdrew from the contest citing health reasons. The move sparked allegations from Congress leader Yashomati Thakur who alleged he had been ‘managed’ by rival parties. Differences between the Congress and the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi over candidate support also became visible during the campaign.
The ruling alliance's position was also strengthened by the withdrawal of several opposition candidates across constituencies. These withdrawals paved the way for multiple uncontested victories for Mahayuti nominees.
In Nanded, three candidates are contesting for the local authorities' constituency, where 452 voters are eligible to cast their ballots. In the Osmanabad-Latur-Beed constituency, BJP candidate Basavaraj Patil Murumkar faces Congress nominee Mahesh Deshmukh, with 367 voters eligible to participate.
The counting of votes is scheduled to take place on Monday, June 22.
