BJP and Ekanth Shinde-led faction of Shiv Sena, as well as the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), have both claimed victory in the just concluded elections to gram panchayats in Maharashtra. After results were declared of the polls held on Sunday, in which voting took place on 581 panchayats spread across 16 districts in the state, both sides claimed they had won. BJP claimed that it won 274 gram panchayats along with its ally Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena winning 41 others. The party further said that NCP, Congress and the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena have respectively won only 62, 37 and 12 gram panchayats.
Speaking to news agency ANI after the declaration of the results, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said, "It is a verification stamp for our Shiv Sena and BJP alliance by the people of Maharashtra."The Chief Minister, who walked out of the Shiv Sena in June after a rebellion, said that the victory is a mandate by the people that they have "accepted" the alliance between the two parties. "It also clears that we`re not the Shinde faction only but we are the real Shiv Sena and people have accepted our alliance where we have won more than 300 panchayats. We will contest together in upcoming polls too," he said.