Maharashtra Election 2024: Shinde Sena, Ajit Pawar’s NCP Flip Over 70 Seats to Boost Mahayuti’s Landslide Victory
GG News Bureau
Mumbai, 23rd November. Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction have decisively shifted Maharashtra’s political landscape by flipping over 70 seats from their parent parties to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance in the Maharashtra Assembly elections. The defections underline the seismic impact of splits in both the Shiv Sena (2022) and the NCP (2023), crippling the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and securing an unprecedented win for the ruling coalition.
As of 12:30 pm, the BJP leads in 124 of the 288 Assembly seats, with the Mahayuti alliance firmly crossing the majority mark of 145.
The defections from Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar’s NCP to the Shinde-Pawar factions handed the BJP and its allies a significant advantage:
Of the 57 seats where Shinde’s Sena is leading, at least 40 were previously held by the undivided Shiv Sena in 2019.
Similarly, Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction is leading in 37 seats, with 32 of these flipped from Sharad Pawar’s NCP.
The MVA is struggling, leading in just 53 seats—Thackeray’s Sena in 18 and Sharad Pawar’s NCP in 13—leaving Congress as the strongest component with 22 leads.
The Mahayuti alliance is projected to win 209 seats overall, with Shinde’s Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP contributing 57 and 37 seats, respectively. This consolidation has handed the BJP its best-ever performance in a Maharashtra Assembly election.
Exit Polls and Ground Reality
Exit polls had already predicted a Mahayuti victory, with most forecasts giving the alliance over 155 seats. However, the scale of the BJP’s domination and the weakness of the MVA exceed expectations.
Historical Context and Political Drama
Maharashtra’s political landscape has been marked by dramatic shifts since 2019.
The BJP initially allied with the undivided Shiv Sena, but power-sharing disagreements led to the formation of the MVA.
In 2022, Shinde’s rebellion dismantled the MVA government, aligning his faction with the BJP.
In 2023, Ajit Pawar broke away from Sharad Pawar’s NCP, further fragmenting the opposition.
Both defections faced legal and political challenges, including Supreme Court hearings on the legitimacy of the factions.
What’s Next for Maharashtra
With Mahayuti’s overwhelming win, Eknath Shinde is set to retain his position as Chief Minister, while Ajit Pawar remains a key deputy. For the opposition, the results signal a need for introspection and re-strategizing to remain politically relevant in a state that has decisively shifted towards the BJP and its allies.
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