1 / 7Maharashtra's political landscape has dramatically changed since 2019, with the 2024 Assembly elections witnessing triangular and dual contests in nearly every seat, making it difficult for many to predict the outcome. Parties are intensifying their strategies, with promises and announcements aimed at attracting voters.2 / 7In the 2019 Maharashtra elections, 37 constituencies had a victory margin of fewer than 5,000 votes. With a total of 288 constituencies in the state, five seats had margins of less than 1,000 votes. In one constituency, the margin was under 500 votes. For instance, in Mumbai's Chandivali seat, Shiv Sena's candidate won by just 409 votes.3 / 7Other close contests included NCP’s Manohar Chandrikapure, who won Gondia's Arjuni-Morgaon seat by 718 votes, BJP’s Rahul Kul, who secured Pune’s Daund seat by 746 votes, Shiv Sena's Shahaji Bapu Patil, who won Solapur's Sangola seat by 768 votes, and NCP’s Ashutosh Kale, who triumphed in Ahmednagar’s Kopargaon seat with 822 votes4 / 7Besides these five constituencies with margins under 1,000 votes, four others—Bhiwandi East, Murtizapur, Muktai Nagar, and Beed—saw decisive margins of 1,000 to 2,000 votes. The BJP and NCP each won one of these seats, while the Samajwadi Party (SP) and an independent candidate claimed the others.5 / 7In the 28 constituencies where the margin was between 2,000 and 5,000 votes, the BJP won 12, NCP claimed 6, Congress and Shiv Sena each won 4, while AIMIM, Bahujan Vikas Aghadi, and CPI secured two seats each. One seat was won by an independent candidate.6 / 7Looking at the Lok Sabha results; 31 Assembly constituencies had a vote difference of fewer than 5,000 between the leading candidates. Of these, 16 were led by opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidates, while 15 were led by ruling Mahayuti candidates.7 / 7The political mood of these constituencies is crucial for the 2024 Assembly elections. These figures, based on Lok Sabha results, may vary in the Assembly elections due to differences in issues and voting patterns. It remains to be seen which party will emerge victorious in these 31 closely contested seats.