Exceeding pre-poll predictions, the ruling Mahayuti combine—comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena of Eknath Shinde, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) of Ajit Pawar—retained power in Maharashtra with a landslide win, show the final numbers from the Election Commission of India (ECI). Here are five charts, based on the ECI data, that capture the election results of Maharashtra.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the single largest party, winning 132 of the 288 seats in the state assembly, putting it in pole position to secure the chief ministership of the state. That post was something it had coveted in its last term too, but it had to cede to partners it needed more than they needed it.
The BJP’s performance also reflects sizable gains over its performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Its other two partners in the Mahayuti alliance, the SHS (Shinde) and NCP (AP), won a combined 98 seats. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), by comparison, stood routed, with the three partners leading or winning in a mere 46 seats between them.
As many as three parties in each alliance meant the vote share across the state would be fragmented. Between them, the six parties in the two main alliances had a vote share of about 82%. The standout number was, once again, from the BJP. The party finished with a leading vote share of 26.7%, which was more than double that of the next best party, which was the INC. The three parties from the MVA could individually manage a vote share of only around 10-12%.
The BJP’s clear edge on vote share over other parties has translated handsomely into seat wins. At 149, the BJP contested the most seats across the six parties. It also had the highest strike rate, winning as many as 89% of these seats. Its other two partners, by comparison, had a strike rate of 69-70%, which is also fairly good. For the three parties in the MVA, a poor vote share translated into low conversion rates of just 12-21%.
Even apart from the lead in seats, it has not been a narrow fight, with the BJP winning in 93 of its 132 seats with a margin of greater than 10%. Its other two alliance partners, too, registered emphatic performances, winning with margins of above 10% in 58 of the 98 seats they won.
In contrast, the opposition alliance margins were much more evenly distributed across the spectrum, with 9 of its 46 wins being less than 2%.
Of the 54 seats in the Maharashtra assembly classified as either SC or ST seats, the BJP won 20. Its two alliance partners won 21 seats. Hence, the BJP-led alliance won 41 of the 54 reserved seats.
The bulk of the opposition seat wins have come in general seats. Between them, the INC, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the NCP (Sharad Pawar) won only 11 reserved seats of their overall tally of 46. They have been routed, with massive implications of where do they go from here.
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