Sharad Pawar's NCP wins Pune graduates, Marathwada seats; Jayant Patil targets EVMs after Council polls

Results are out for the five Legislative Council seats in the state. The Mahayuti's candidates won both teachers' constituencies. Of the three graduates' constituencies, Maha Vikas Aghadi candidates were elected in two. The BJP won the Nagpur graduates' constituency. With three of the five seats, the BJP-led Mahayuti took the lead.

Both candidates of Sharad Pawar's NCP won in the Pune graduates' and Marathwada constituencies. Harshada Deshmukh won from Pune graduates' and Pratapsingh Patil from Marathwada. Marathwada saw an NCP versus NCP contest, in which Pratapsingh Patil defeated the NCP's Satish Chavan. After the victory celebrations, senior party leader Jayant Patil held a press conference.

Speaking on the contest with Satish Chavan, Jayant Patil said the mood of society is reflected in all these elections. With this remark, he took a dig at Ajit Pawar's NCP.

According to Jayant Patil, graduates expressed through their votes their anger over unemployment, inflation and the problems in competitive examinations. He said Harshada Jadhav Deshmukh is an educated graduate and a young party worker, while in Marathwada, Pratap Patil has won.

Jayant Patil also said that voting in these elections was on a full-page ballot paper, so counting has to be done even if only 10 votes are cast. He said the opposition wins when voting is on ballots. With this, he once again targeted the ruling side over EVMs after the win. He also said that attempts were made in the teachers' and graduates' constituencies to win votes on a large scale through inducements. He added that the Gokul election had created a mood whose effect was felt in Kolhapur.

Sharad Pawar's NCP had expelled Nitesh Karale Master from the party for six years for rebelling in the Nagpur graduates' constituency. Karale Master had subsequently broken down in tears. Jayant Patil also addressed this. He explained that the Maha Vikas Aghadi had taken a decision and Karale took a stand against it, so the action was taken against him.

Winning candidate Harshada Deshmukh-Jadhav also took a dig at the ruling side over voting on ballot papers. She said, "We met the quota of 1 lakh 13 thousand votes." Harshada Jadhav said, "We have seen in this election what happens when voting is on ballot papers."