The ruling Mahayuti alliance has won the first two declared seats in elections to Maharashtra's Legislative Council, The Hindu reports, with counting continuing on Wednesday for the remaining three of the five teachers' and graduates' constituencies.
The Bharatiya Janata Party took the Pune Teachers' seat and the Shiv Sena won Amravati Teachers'. The Pune Teachers' contest had drawn attention because the BJP and Shiv Sena, both Mahayuti partners, backed rival candidates; the seat was previously held by Congress.
The results were a setback for the Nationalist Congress Party, another member of the ruling alliance, which failed to win a seat. The rival NCP faction led by Sharad Pawar was ahead in the Pune Graduates' constituency, the only seat the alliance had allocated to the NCP. Senior NCP leader Praful Patel said the outcome was a wake-up call and the party needed urgent introspection.
Source: The Hindu
