How parties fared across 5 regions of Maharashtra

Experts attribute the Mahayuti victory to several factors, especially changing dynamics of the Maratha quota issue

The Mahayuti alliance's landslide victory in Maharashtra's assembly elections revealed a dramatic reshaping of the state's political landscape, with traditional bastions falling and new power centers emerging across regions.

Overall, the ruling Mahayuti alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar faction Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) won 235 of 288 seats, crushing the opposition coalition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to be left with a joint tally at 50.

In Marathwada, where the Mahayuti alliance had lost seven of eight Lok Sabha seats just six months ago, it staged a dramatic turnaround by winning 41 of 46 assembly seats. The BJP claimed 19 of 20 seats contested, Shiv Sena won 13 of 16, and Ajit Pawar's NCP secured 8 of 9.

The dramatic shift in fortunes was attributed to multiple factors, most notably the changing dynamics of the Maratha reservation issue. While Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil's agitation had significantly damaged the Mahayuti in the Lok Sabha polls, his reduced influence in the assembly elections worked to the alliance's advantage. "The Jarange-Patil factor did not work this election because of his flip-flop over the political stand. He backtracked on his resolve to contest the Assembly elections at the last moment when dozens of community members had filed their nominations. This dented his credibility, resulting in Maratha voters going back to Mahayuti," explained Nanded-based political analyst Santosh Kulkarni.