The 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections saw the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance securing a resounding victory, with more than 220 seats out of the total 288-member assembly. This monumental win is a testament to the power of the BJP, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde), and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), who collectively triumphed over the opposition in a clear landslide victory.
The opposition, comprising the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance — led by Congress, along with Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP (Sharad Pawar) faction — struggled to gain significant traction, securing just 46 seats. Despite the overall margin, the election witnessed some incredibly narrow wins, highlighting how every vote counted in this highly competitive race.
While several candidates achieved overwhelming victories with massive margins — some by over 1.45 lakh votes — there were also those whose wins came down to the wire, clinching their seats by the smallest of margins. Let’s take a closer look at the top 10 candidates who emerged victorious with the lowest vote margins:
- Mufti Mohammad Khalique (Malegaon Central)
The AIMIM’s Mufti Mohammad Khalique secured the Malegaon Central seat by the tiniest of margins, defeating the ISLAM party candidate by just 162 votes. This is the closest win in the entire election. - Nana Patole (Sakoli)
In a nail-biting contest, Congress’ Nana Patole triumphed over BJP’s Avinash Ananrao Brahmankar in the Sakoli constituency, with the final margin coming down to a mere 208 votes after the postal votes were counted. - Manda Vijay Mhatre (Belapur)
BJP’s Manda Vijay Mhatre clinched the Belapur seat, defeating Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar’s faction) candidate Sandeep Ganesh Naik by 377 votes, making it another close call in the election. - Gaikwad Sanjay Rambhau (Buldhana)
A close contest in Buldhana saw Shinde camp’s Gaikwad Sanjay Rambhau narrowly defeat Thackeray faction’s Jayshree Sunil Shelke, winning by a slim margin of 841 votes. - Shirishkumar Surupsing Naik (Nawapur)
Congress’ Shirishkumar Surupsing Naik secured the Nawapur assembly seat by 1,121 votes, edging out independent candidate Sharad Krishnarao Gavit in what was a fiercely contested battle. - Rohit Pawar (Karjat Jamkhed)
The NCP’s Rohit Pawar emerged victorious in Karjat Jamkhed, defeating BJP’s Prof. Ram Shankar Shinde by 1,243 votes, marking another narrow margin in the highly competitive elections. - Sajid Khan Pathan (Akola West)
Congress party’s Sajid Khan Pathan won Akola West by a margin of 1,283 votes, defeating BJP’s Agrawal Vijay Kamalkishor in a tight race that kept political analysts on edge until the last vote. - Mahesh Baliram Sawant (Mahim)
Mahesh Baliram Sawant of Shiv Sena (UBT) narrowly defeated the incumbent Shiv Sena MLA Sada Sarvankar by 1,316 votes in Mahim. In an added twist, Sawant managed to beat MNS chief Raj Thackeray’s son, Amit Thackeray, in this constituency. - Dilip Dattatray Walse Patil (Ambegaon)
From Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction, Dilip Dattatray Walse Patil won the Ambegaon seat by a margin of 1,523 votes, defeating Sharad Pawar’s faction candidate, Devdatta Jayvantrao Nikam. - Anant (Bala) B. Nar (Jogeshwari East)
In another closely contested battle, Anant B. Nar of Shiv Sena (UBT) secured the Jogeshwari East seat by 1,541 votes, defeating the Shinde camp’s Manisha Ravindra Waikar.
These candidates’ victories were testament to how even the smallest margins can determine the outcome in a hotly contested election. The 2024 Maharashtra elections have indeed left their mark with some shocking victories, while the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance’s dominance remained undeniable with a substantial majority.
As the final results are being tallied, the BJP continues to lead with 128 seats, followed by Shiv Sena with 56 and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) with 40. Congress has secured 14 seats so far, while Shiv Sena (UBT) has won 20. With further updates expected, the political landscape in Maharashtra has been forever altered by this stunning outcome.
