Maharashtra Assembly Election Results: Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday retained Kopri-Pachpakhadi seat by 1,20,717 votes. In the last Assembly election in 2019, Eknath Shinde won the Kopri-Pachpakhadi seat, defeating Ghasigaonkar Sanjay Pandurang of Congress.
Shinde, who wields immense clout on his home turf Thane adjoining Mumbai, polled 1,59,060 votes, with a share of 78.4 per cent. His nearest rival Shiv Sena (UBT) nominee Kedar Dighe, the nephew of Shinde’s mentor the late Anand Dighe, bagged 38,343 votes. Shinde had led a rebellion against the then Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray in 2022 to split the Bal Thackeray-founded party and sided with the BJP to become the CM. While the division triggered a bitter feud between the two Sena factions, he eventually got the party’s name and its ‘bow-and-arrow’ symbol.
After winning, Eknath Shinde in a joint presser with Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar said, "Today the public has shown that which is Balasaheb's Shiv Sena...They (Congress) raise objections wherever they lose...Is EVM correct in Jharkhand...When they win the EVM is correct, when the loss there is a problem in EVM... Our government was the common man's government. I'm thankful to PM Modi for his incredible support. Women, children & farmers were the centre point for us. We want to convert the common man into Superman. For me, the full form of CM is not Chief Minister, it's Common Man. This is the record-breaking victory of Mahayuti. We are thankful to the whole of Maharashtra...We removed all the stays which MVA made during their governance.."
As per the latest figures shared by the Election Commission, Shiv Sena has won 28 and was leading in 29 of the state’s 288 seats. It fielded 81 candidates in the November 20 elections. By contrast, Uddhav’s Sena (UBT) has won nine seats and was leading in 11 constituencies.
