Early trend shows close contest in Maha, BJP trails INDIA bloc

Mumbai, June 4 (IANS) There is a neck and neck fight between the ruling NDA and the Opposition INDIA bloc in Maharashtra as votes are being counted for the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

INDIA bloc is currently leading on 24 seats, while NDA is leading on 19 seats.

The elections in Maharashtra followed splits in Shiv Sena and NCP after Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar rebelled, leading to a significantly altered political landscape.

In 2019, BJP had taken 23 seats in Maharashtra and its then ally Shiv Sena (undivided) had won 18. The then undivided NCP had won four constituencies, while Congress managed to win just one.

Maharashtra sends the second biggest contingent to Lok Sabha after Uttar Pradesh with 80 members. The outcome here is expected to have an impact on the government at the Centre.

Key contestants from the state include Nitin Gadkari, Narayan Rane, Piyush Goyal, Bharti Pawar, Raosaheb Danve, Kapil Patil, all Union Ministers, Navneet Kaur-Rana, Ujjwal Nikam, Dr Shrikant Shinde, Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhosale, Sunetra Ajit Pawar, Sunil Tatkare.