NCP candidate and Baba Siddique’s son Zeeshan after being defeated by Uddhav Sena’s Varun Sardesai from the Vandre (Bandra) East seat by more than 9,500 votes, while leaving the counting centre at Kalina University campus on Saturday, said that he was feeling bad thinking that he let his father down.
ECI
“I don’t know what happened. I did not get time to think and ponder. I worked harder than the last time; I got more votes than the last time but I did not know what happened this time. I am feeling bad that I let my father down. There is nothing lower than this, I lost my father one and half months back I lost the elections now…” said Zeeshan while interacting to the media.
BJP-led Mahayuti to stay in the saddle as Cong, allies totter at 50
Meanwhile, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is on course to retain power in Maharashtra, and winning nine seats so far and was leading in 217 of the 288 assembly seats, as per the latest figures of the counting process in the November 20 elections.
After the certainty of the poll outcome, the focus has now shifted to BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, the architect of his party’s stunning victory. Political circles are abuzz with reports that the state’s second Brahmin to become the CM will don the post for the third time.
As per the latest figures from the Election Commission, the BJP has so far won nine seats and is leading in 125, the Shiv Sena has won three and is ahead in 53 seats, while the NCP has won two and is leading in 37 seats.
In the MVA, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) candidates were leading in 11 seats, Congress in 20 and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) in 19 seats.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi has suffered a crushing defeat, with its candidates leading in just 50 seats, a far cry from the boasts – till this morning – by many of its senior leaders that the combine will trounce the Mahayuti.
The counting of votes in the Maharashtra assembly elections began at 8 am Saturday, with all eyes on the outcome of the battle between the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti coalition and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance.
The final turnout in the polls, held on November 20, was 66.05 per cent, up from 61.1 per cent in 2019.
In the Mahayuti, the BJP contested 149 seats, Shiv Sena 81, and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP fielded candidates in 59 constituencies.
In the MVA combine, the Congress fielded 101 candidates, Shiv Sena (UBT) 95, and NCP (SP) put up 86 candidates.