All attention during the Lok Sabha elections was on the split factions of the parties, with observers watching closely to see which side the people would support. Maharashtra politics in recent times has seen upheaval, with two major parties, Shiv Sena and NCP, being vertically split by rebel leaders.
This Lok Sabha election, being the litmus test for each faction of these two parties, was fiercely and intensely fought.
As trends trickled in on Thursday, here's how each faction was faring until the time of this report being filed:
1) Shiv Sena: Shiv Sena UBT was seen outperforming its rival faction led by CM Eknath Shinde. With UBT contesting 21 seats and leading on 10, it is maintaining almost a 50% strike rate. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (Shinde) contested 15 seats and was leading on 6 seats, with a strike rate of 40%.
2) NCP: NCP led by Ajit Pawar, which contested elections on 4 seats, was leading only on 1 seat, with a strike rate of a mere 25%. On the other hand, the NCP led by Sharad Pawar contested on 10 seats and was leading on 8 seats, with a striking rate of a whopping 80%.
The other member in the MVA alliance, Congress, was leading on 11 seats. Meanwhile, the BJP, leader in Mahayuti, was also leading on 11 seats.
Note: These are early trend numbers and do not denote the final outcomes of the contest.