Along with the counting of votes for the Assembly elections 2026 in four states and one Union Territory, counting is also underway for the by-elections held in Maharashtra’s Baramati and Rahuri Assembly constituencies.
As expected, Sunetra Pawar of the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar has taken the lead in the Baramati Assembly constituency. Meanwhile, in the Rahuri Assembly constituency of Ahilyanagar district, BJP candidate Akshay Kardile is leading.
The Baramati seat fell vacant following the death of Ajit Pawar. His wife, Sunetra Pawar, was fielded by the NCP for the by-election. Owing to the sympathy wave after Ajit Pawar’s death, no major political party fielded a candidate against her, making her victory largely certain.
According to early trends from the ongoing counting process, Sunetra Pawar had taken a lead of more than 26,000 votes by the end of the third round.
In Ahilyanagar district’s Rahuri constituency, the seat had fallen vacant following the death of MLA Shivajirao Kardile. The Bharatiya Janata Party fielded his son, Akshay Kardile, while the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party faction nominated Govind Mokate.
In the first round of counting, Akshay Kardile secured 4,988 votes, while his rival Govind Mokate received 722 votes, giving the BJP candidate an early and significant lead.