Maharashtra MLC Results Prompt BJP-Shiv Sena Dispute Within Mahayuti
Leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena publicly disagreed over the results of five Maharashtra Legislative Council elections on October 29, 2026, according to reports by The Hindu and Deccan Herald. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition secured three of the five council seats, compared with two for the ruling Mahayuti alliance. In the overall tally, Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (SP) claimed two seats and the Indian National Congress retained one, while the ruling Mahayuti managed only two seats, with the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena securing one constituency each and the NCP, led by Sunetra Pawar, winning no.
Division-Level Contests and Constituency Outcomes
Elections covered three Graduates constituencies in Pune, Nagpur, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, alongside two Teachers constituencies in Pune and Amravati. In the closely watched Nagpur Graduates constituency, sitting Congress MLC Abhijit Wanjari defeated BJP candidate Sudhakar Kohale, despite intensive campaign efforts led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the city housing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh headquarters. In the Pune Graduates constituency, NCP (SP) candidate Harshada Deshmukh-Jadhav defeated BJP nominee Smita Jadhav, and NCP (SP) nominee Pratapsinh Patil defeated NCP incumbent Satish Chavan in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Graduates. The Mahayuti secured its only victories in the Teachers constituencies, where BJP candidate Kaustubh Gawade won Pune Teachers against Shiv Sena-backed independent Sachin Sanap, and Shiv Sena candidate Kiran Sarnaik captured Amravati Teachers by defeating Congress nominee Aditi Pohre.
In Nagpur Graduates, Congress's Abhijit Wanjarri initially trailed BJP's Sudhakar Kohale with 56,630 first-preference votes to 60,924 before winning through transferred second-preference votes from eliminated candidates.
In the Pune Graduates MLC election, Harshada Jadhav-Deshmukh secured 111,717 votes against Dr. Smita Jadhav's 102,797 votes at the end of the 39th round of counting, while Sunil Modi polled around 3,000 votes.
Coalition Tensions and Mutual Accusations
Within hours of the outcome, politicians from coalition parties exchanged accusations about seat coordination and alleged campaign sabotage. Maharashtra BJP chief spokesperson Navnath Ban accused the Shiv Sena of prioritizing narrow factional interests over coalition commitments, asserting that the alliance squandered a chance to win all five seats. Ban argued that Shiv Sena damaged alliance unity in Pune by extending eleventh-hour backing to independent contender Sanap, while in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Shiv Sena leader Abdul Sattar openly campaigned against the allied NCP candidate. BJP leader Pravin Darekar issued a caution to the Sena leadership, reminding them publicly of their obligations as coalition partners within the Mahayuti fold. Speaking for the Shiv Sena, Cabinet Minister Uday Samant noted that Eknath Shinde attained the chief ministerial post after Sena legislators chose to break away from Uddhav Thackeray.
Seat Coordination Disputes and Alliance Friction
Shiv Sena leaders responded to the allegations, attributing the defeat to unilateral seat distribution and internal resistance within the BJP cadre. Shiv Sena spokesperson Anand Paranjpe contended that seat negotiations suffered from a complete absence of coordination from the outset, pointing out that the BJP nominated an external candidate in Pune Graduates rather than rewarding longtime party workers, which triggered quiet rebellion among grassroots workers. Paranjpe further highlighted that former BJP legislator Anil Sole mounted an independent rebellion in Nagpur that fractured the ruling coalition's voter base. Defending his party's track record, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde maintained that the Shiv Sena has consistently respected alliance principles across four contested seats while engaging in an agreed friendly contest in Pune. Meanwhile, reflecting on the coalition's defeat in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, NCP working president Praful Patel termed the election outcome a result requiring organizational review.
Wanjarri won the Nagpur Graduates seat in 2020 after it had been held by the BJP for nearly six decades, according to The Free Press Journal.