In a major setback to Maharashtra’s ruling alliance of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, the BJP won three of the six Rajya Sabha seats, while the ruling combine questioned the eight-hour delay in counting of votes. The BJP winners include Union minister Piyush Goyal and former state minister Anil Bonde, and Dhananjay Mahadik. Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut, NCP’s Praful Patel and Congress’ Imran Pratapgarhi also won the fiercely-fought elections. Of the 284 valid votes, Goyal polled 48, Bonde 48, Mahadik 41.56, Raut 41, Pratapgarhi 44 and Patel 43.
The contest was for the sixth seat – the BJP had fielded former MP Dhananjay Mahadik and the Shiv Sena candidate was Sanjay Pawar, who lost. Mahadik and Pawar hail from Kolhapur in western Maharashtra. The high-stake battle for the sixth turned out to be a nail-biting affair with the Congress and BJP trading charges, even approaching the Election Commission.