India
Mahayuti Leads Three of Five Maharashtra Council Seats; MVA Ahead in Two, Preferential Votes Crucial
The Mahayuti alliance is ahead in the Pune and Amravati Teachers’ constituencies and the Nagpur Graduates’ constituency, while the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is ahead in the Pune and Aurangabad Graduates’ constituencies, according to preliminary vote‑counting trends for five Maharashtra Legislative Council seats. With several high‑profile candidates, including rebels from both alliances, second‑ and third‑preference votes are expected to be decisive, delaying final results until after midnight on Tuesday.
In the Pune Teachers’ constituency, BJP candidate Kaustubh Gawade leads, followed by Shiv Sena‑backed Sachin Sanap and independent Dattatray Sawant; Congress candidate Jayant Asgaonkar trails in fourth place. Of the votes counted, 51,511 were valid and 1,675 were rejected, with a winning quota of 25,756 votes.
The Pune Graduates’ constituency saw a close contest between MVA candidate Harshada Deshmukh‑Jadhav and Mahayuti candidate Dr. Smita Jadhav, with Deshmukh‑Jadhav marginally ahead. In Aurangabad, NCP candidate Pratapsinh Patil leads Mahayuti’s Satish Chavan by about 4,000 votes after roughly 35,000 votes were counted, with Shiv Sena’s Dilip Ghuge also in contention.
In Nagpur, BJP’s Sudhakar Kohale leads Congress’s Abhijit Vanjari by about 4,000 votes after the first round, with independent Nitesh Karale in third place. In Amravati, Shiv Sena’s Kiran Sarnaik leads after about 14,000 votes, with rebel Shiv Sena leader Shrikant Deshpande ahead of Congress’s Aditi Pohare.
Counting began at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, but officials continued sorting ballot papers until 3 p.m. An election official noted that the first‑preference quota had been set from valid votes before counting began, and that multiple prominent candidates would make second‑ and third‑preference votes influential.
A total of 10,68,072 graduate and teacher voters were eligible across 2,419 polling stations. Turnout was highest in Amravati Teachers’ (91.08%) and Pune Teachers’ (85.87%) constituencies, while Nagpur Graduates’ recorded 64.76%, Pune Graduates’ 62.78% and Aurangabad Graduates’ 58.67%.
— Surendra P. Gangan, Associate Editor, Mumbai Edition, Hindustan Times
Frequently asked questions
Which council seats is Mahayuti ahead in?
Pune Teachers, Amravati Teachers, and Nagpur Graduates.
Which council seats is MVA ahead in?
Pune Graduates and Aurangabad Graduates.
Why are second- and third-preference votes important?
Because high‑profile candidates, including rebels from both alliances, make them decisive, delaying final results until after midnight.