The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is on course to retain power in Maharashtra, and was leading in 217 of the 288 assembly seats, as per the latest figures by the Election Commission almost mid-way through the counting process in the November 20 elections

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi appeared stumbling, with its candidates leading in just 50 seats, a far cry from the boasts, till this morning, by many of its leaders that the combine will trounce the Mahayuti

In the first and the only result declared so far by the Election Commission, BJP`s Kalidas Kolambkar from Wadala defeated Shiv Sena (UBT)`s Shraddha Jadhav by 24,973 after 16 rounds to become a legislator for the ninth time in a row

As per ECI figures, in the Mahayuti, BJP candidates were leading in 123 seats and won the Wadala seat in Mumbai, Shiv Sena in 55 and NCP in 38 seats

In the MVA, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) candidates were leading in 13 seats, and Congress and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) in 19 seats each

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar were leading in their respective assembly constituencies

The counting of votes in the Maharashtra assembly elections began at 8 am Saturday, with all eyes on the outcome of the battle between the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti coalition and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance

The final turnout in the polls, held on November 20, was 66.05 per cent, up from 61.1 per cent in 2019

In the Mahayuti, the BJP contested 149 seats, Shiv Sena 81, and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP fielded candidates in 59 constituencies. In the MVA combine, the Congress fielded 101 candidates, Shiv Sena (UBT) 95, and NCP (SP) put up 86 candidates