Posters featuring Devendra Fadnavis as Maharashtra’s next chief minister surfaced in Washim as the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance appeared poised for a landslide victory in the state assembly elections. According to the Election Commission, Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis leads from Nagpur South West by 27,386 votes.
Crediting the victory to unity under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, Fadnavis said, “This is the triumph of Mahayuti, CM Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, and Ramdas Athawale. People across communities united for this historic mandate.” The BJP leader dismissed speculation about a row over the CM’s post, stating it would be decided collectively by Mahayuti leaders.
At 54, Fadnavis, a prominent Brahmin face of the BJP, has held the CM’s post twice before. His first tenure in 2014 followed the BJP’s record-breaking win of 122 seats. He briefly served as CM in 2019 alongside Ajit Pawar before resigning days later amid political uncertainty.
As per the latest data, the BJP has secured nine seats and leads in 125, while Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) has won three and is ahead in 53. The NCP (Ajit Pawar group) has claimed two and leads in 37. Meanwhile, the opposition MVA alliance struggles, with Congress leading in 20, Shiv Sena (UBT) in 19, and Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction in 11 seats.
The overwhelming support signals a resounding mandate for the Mahayuti coalition in Maharashtra.
