BJP Sweeps Maharashtra: Shiv Sena Struggles to Retain Power

New Delhi [Date]: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is on track to retain power in Maharashtra, leading in 217 of the 288 assembly seats in the latest election commission data. Sneha Dube Pandit secured a victory from Vasai constituency with 77,553 votes, further solidifying the party's stronghold.

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), led by Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), is struggling to gain momentum, with its candidates leading in just 50 seats. The BJP-led Mahayuti has secured a majority of 145 seats, indicating a decisive victory for the party.

In the previous Maharashtra assembly elections held in 2019, Bahujan Vikas Aaghadi's Hitendra Vishnu Thakur won the seat from Vasai with 102,950 votes. This time around, Pandit defeated Thakur by a margin of 3,153 votes, marking a significant shift in fortune for the BJP.

Thakur emerged victorious thrice in previous elections: once in 2014 when he received 97,291 votes, and twice more in 2009 with 81,358 and 65,395 votes. However, his lead has dwindled significantly compared to these wins, highlighting a decline in BVA's popularity.

The data suggests that the BJP is on its way to retaining power in Maharashtra after three consecutive terms under the Shiv Sena-NCP coalition.