In a setback for the BJP in Maharashtra Legislative Council polling, it is leading on only one out of six seats while losing one of its crucial constituency to NCP. Sharad Pawar’s party NCP, which is part of the ruling coalition Maha Vikas Agadi (MVA), has registered victory in Aurangabad and Pune graduates’ constituencies. Now, opposition leader, and Bharatiya Janata Party's Devendra Fadnavis has that the party that they underestimated the power of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra Legislative Council polls. “The results of Maharashtra Legislative Council polls are not as per our expectations. We were expecting more seats but won only one. We miscalculated the combined power of the three parties (Maha Vikas Aghadi),” Fadnavis said.
NCP’s Satish Chavan won the Aurangabad division graduates’ constituency, defeating BJP nominee Shirish Boralkar. In Pune division graduates’ constituency, NCP’s Arun Lad defeated BJP candidate Sangram Deshmukh by a margin of 48,824 votes. Chavan polled 1,16,638 votes, while Boralkar bagged 58,743 votes, the state electoral office said. Lad polled 1,22,145 votes, while Deshmukh bagged 73,321 votes. BJP’s defeat in Pune graduates’ constituency is considered to be a big blow to party’s state unit chief Chandrakant Patil, who along with former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had campaigned extensively to retain the seat.In Nagpur division graduates’ seat, Congress’s Abhijit Vanjari was leading over his nearest rival Sandeep Joshi (BJP). In Pune division teachers’ constituency, Jayant Asgaonkar of the Congress was leading over Independent Dattatraya Sawant. In Amravati division teachers’ constituency, Kiran Sarnaik (Independent) was leading over Shiv Sena’s Shrikant Deshpande. The biennial elections to six legislative council seats - three graduates’ and two teachers’ as well as one local bodies seat were held on December 1.