NCP vs NCP: Ajit Pawar's Faction Wins 29 Seats Against Sharad Pawar's Rival Group

The Maharashtra assembly elections witnessed a fierce contest between two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The faction led by Ajit Pawar secured victory in 29 seats, surpassing the group headed by Sharad Pawar, which won six constituencies. Ajit Pawar's NCP, part of the Mahayuti alliance, was leading or winning in 41 out of the 59 seats it contested, according to the Election Commission's latest data.

Sharad Pawar's faction fielded 86 candidates but managed only ten victories. The NCP split last year when Ajit Pawar aligned with Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and the BJP, joining the Mahayuti government. This move intensified the family rivalry. Ajit faced a setback in the Lok Sabha polls when his cousin Supriya Sule defeated his wife Sunetra Pawar in Baramati.

Key Electoral Battles

Ajit Pawar achieved a significant win over his nephew Yugendra Pawar, endorsed by Sharad Pawar, by over 1 lakh votes. This marked a historic defeat for Sharad Pawar in their family stronghold. In Sindhkhed Raja, Manoj Kayande defeated Rajendra Shingane, who had returned to Sharad Pawar's faction after initially siding with Ajit.

Aheri witnessed another family clash as Dharmarao Atram of Ajit's NCP defeated his daughter Bhagyashree from Sharad's faction. Indranil Naik triumphed over Sharad Maind in Pusad, while Chandrakant Navghare emerged victorious against Jaiprakash Dandegaonkar in Basmath.

Prominent Victories

Chhagan Bhujbal, an OBC leader and Maharashtra minister, defeated Manikrao Shinde in Yeola. In Sinnar, Manikrao Kokate won against Uday Sangale. Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal retained Dindori by defeating Sunita Charoskar. Daulat Daroda overcame Pandurang Barora in Shahapur.

Sana Malik, daughter of former minister Nawab Malik, won against Fahad Ahmad in Anushaktinagar. Aditi Tatkare bested Anil Navgane in Srivardhan. Dilip Walse Patil defeated Devdutt Nikam in Ambegaon. Dnyaneshwar Katke triumphed over Ashok Pawar in Shirur.

Additional Wins

Anna Bandsode defeated Sulakshana Dhar in Pimpri, while Kiran Lahamate overcame Amit Bhangare in Akole. Ashutosh Kale beat Sandeep Varpe in Kopargaon. Sangram Jagtap won against Abhishek Kalamkar in Ahmednagar City. Prakash Solanke secured victory over Mohan Jagtap in Majalgaon.

Dhananjay Munde led by 1.4 lakh votes against Rajesaheb Deshmukh to win Parli in Beed district. Babasaheb Patil defeated Vinayak Jadhav Patil in Ahmedpur, while Sanjay Bandsode triumphed over Sudhakar Bhalerao in Udgir.

Notable Outcomes

Sachin Patil bested Deepak Chavan in Phaltan, and Makrand Patil defeated Aruna Pisal in Wai. Shekar Nikam won against Prashant Yadav in Chiplun. Minister Hasan Mushrif triumphed over Samarjit Ghatge in Kagal.

Kashinath Date beat Rani Lanke in Parner, while Raju Karemore defeated Charan Waghmare in Tumsar. Datta Bharne emerged victorious against Harshvardhan Patil, who had switched from BJP to Sharad's faction before the elections.

Vote Share and Reactions

Sharad Pawar's party garnered 11.29% of the total votes compared to NCP's 9.01%. Despite Sharad Pawar urging voters to decisively defeat "traitors," results showed voters disregarded this appeal.

NCP SP candidates who succeeded included Jitendra Awhad defeating Najeeb Mulla in Mumbra Kalwa and Bapusaheb Pathare overcoming Sunil Tingre in Vadgaon Sheri. Sandeep Kshirsagar won against Yogesh Kshirsagar in Beed.

Abhijit Patil claimed victory over Minal Sathe in Madha, while Raju Khare defeated Yashwant Mane in Mohol. State NCP SP chief Jayant Patil triumphed over Nishikant Patil in Islampur.

Rohit Patil secured a win against Sanjay Kaka Patil in Tasgaon Kavathe-Mahankal.