Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Sunetra Pawar was leading her rivals by a wide margin in the Baramati Assembly bypoll as vote counting was underway on Monday.
In the Rahuri Assembly seat by-election, BJP’s Akshay Kardile was ahead of his rivals, as per trends available on the Election Commission’s website.
Pawar secured 26,773 votes by the end of the third round of counting, while 21 of the other 22 little-known candidates had not crossed the 100-vote mark so far.
A voter turnout of 58.27 per cent was recorded in the Baramati Assembly constituency in Pune district.
The seat fell vacant following the death of then Deputy Chief Minister and NCP president Ajit Pawar in a plane crash on January 28, necessitating the bypoll.
His wife Sunetra Pawar, contesting her first Assembly poll, is set to win the seat with a huge margin over her rivals, riding a sympathy wave and her family’s strong hold on the constituency.
No major political party has fielded candidates against her.
The Rahuri seat in Ahilyanagar district became vacant after BJP MLA Shivaji Kardile’s death in October last year.
His son and BJP nominee Akshay Kardile was leading over his nearest rival, NCP (SP) candidate Govind Mokate, by over 21,000 votes, as per the latest trends.
The Maharashtra Assembly has 288 seats.
The ruling Mahayuti alliance has 235 seats (BJP–132, Shiv Sena–57, NCP Ajit–41, allies–5), while the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi combine has 50 seats (Shiv Sena UBT–20, Congress–16, NCP SP–10, others–4).
(With inputs from PTI)
