Dilip Dattatray Walse Patil of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) narrowly defeated his opponent, Devdatta Jayvantrao Nikam of the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), by just 1,523 votes in the Ambegaon constituency. Walse Patil, secured 106,888 votes, while Nikam received 105,365 votes.
Walse Patil, a former home minister, has represented Ambegaon for several terms. He first became an MLA in 1990 on a Congress ticket and has since been re-elected six times from the constituency. The tight contest reflects the intense competition between the NCP factions, with Nikam giving Walse Patil a tough challenge in what turned out to be a neck-and-neck battle.
Meanwhile, Congress Legislature Party leader Balasaheb Thorat suffered a loss in Sangamner, where he was defeated by a margin of 10,560 votes. Thorat, who had been an MLA since 1985, could not hold onto his seat this time.