PUNE: Former chief minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan lost the Karad (South) assembly seat in western Maharashtra's Satara district by 39,355 votes.
According to the Election Commission, Chavan polled 1,00,150 votes against BJP candidate Dr Atulbaba Bhosale's 1,39,505 votes in the constituency considered a stronghold of Congress.
Chavan's loss is considered a severe jolt to Congress as he has been an MLA from the Karad (South) seat since 2014.
The 78-year-old leader served as the chief minister from 2010 to 2014 and was a minister of state for various ministries during the UPA regime.