The Mahayuti alliance secured victory in 16 of the 17 Legislative Council seats on Monday (June 22, 2026). The Opposition alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi, was unable to open its account and won zero seats.
Also read: Maharashtra local authorities’ biennial election records 99.02% voter turnout
BJP rebel Gokul Gite won as an independent candidate in Nashik against the Shiv Sena’s candidate. This one seat has brought the differences within the ruling alliance to the forefront, with the defeated Shiv Sena candidate accusing the BJP and other alliance partners of working against him.
Meanwhile, Gokul Gite said he would discuss with his party workers if there is an offer to join the Shiv Sena. “It is my workers who have helped me vote to power. I cannot take any decision without consulting them,” he told reporters in Nashik on Monday (June 22, 2026).
The Opposition took potshots at the Shiv Sena over its defeat in the alliance. Warning the Shiv Sena that the BJP is in a mode to finish off its allies, Congress leader Satej Bunty Patil said that the Shiv Sena was rewarded for its sacrifice in Jalgaon.
In Jalgaon, the Shiv Sena took a backseat to support the BJP candidate who won the election. Local Shiv Sena leaders expressed their dissatisfaction after the results, adding that their candidate would have won had they not withdrawn to support the BJP candidate. “BJP defeated a candidate of the Shiv Sena,” Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena UBT leader, said.
When asked for a reaction, Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray said, “It is so hilarious that I cannot speak. This is merely a trailer,” he added, mimicking Eknath Shinde.
Of the 17 seats which went to polls, voting was necessitated in 11 seats. Six seats had already been declared as unopposed earlier.
The leaders who were elected unopposed were BJP’s Arun Lakhani from Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli and Prajakt Tanpure from Ahilyanagar; NCP nominees Vikram Kakade from Pune and Aniket Tatkare from Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg; and Shiv Sena candidates Ravindra Phatak from Thane and Dushyant Chaturvedi from Yavatmal.
On June 18, elections were held for the following 11 constituencies: Solapur, Jalgaon, Sangli, Satara, Nanded, Bhandara-Gondia, Nashik, Amravati, Osmanabad, Latur (Dharashiv), Beed, Parbhani, Hingoli, Aurangabad, Jalna (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), and Nagpur.
In Nanded, Shiv Sena UBT expelled its candidate Krishna Nagesh Patil Ashtikar for anti-party activities. This occurred after he lost to BJP candidate Amar Rajurkar, who won the constituency for a third time in a row, celebrating a hat trick. “The hard work of the candidate and the party workers has been rewarded. I thank Devendra Fadnavis, Narendra Modi, Nitin Nabin, and Amit Shah for approving the name of a party worker,” senior BJP leader from Nanded Ashok Chavan said.
In Nashik, the drama over seat distribution has been apparent since the beginning. Gokul Gite, a rebel from the BJP, filed a nomination as an independent candidate. After leaders from the BJP and Shiv Sena intervened, he claimed he would not campaign in the election. The decision to withdraw was made after the deadline for the withdrawal of nominations had passed, so his name remained on the ballot list.
After his victory on Monday, he stated that he had stopped campaigning the day he made his commitment, but his workers were the ones who got him elected. This led to a war of words between the Shiv Sena and the BJP, with Sena candidate Narendra Darade accusing BJP leader Girish Mahajan of supporting the rebel candidate.
Shiv Sena senior leaders also expressed their displeasure. “How did this happen? We will have to give this some thought. This will strain relations,” Maharashtra Minister Sanjay Shirsat said. Another Shiv Sena Minister, Pratap Sarnaik, stated that Gokul Gite had assured them that he would stop campaigning.
“Shiv Sainiks are being demoralised by this. The senior leadership should take note of this,” he said.
Published - June 22, 2026 11:45 am IST
Source: The Hindu - India News
