"Seats were Stolen" Sanjay Raut Cries Foul Play as Yuti Dominates Maha Polls

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut expressed concerns over the emerging trends in Maharashtra's assembly elections, claiming that the results indicate possible manipulation and that the ruling parties have “stolen” seats from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance.

Raut accused political rivals of “doing gadbad” (mischief) to unfairly influence the outcome, asserting that the results cannot reflect the true will of the people of Maharashtra. He further questioned the number of seats being claimed by the NCP and Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, stating that the public did not agree with these results.

"They have done some 'gadbad', they have stolen some of our seats. This cannot be the public's decision. Even the public does not agree with these results," Raut told reporters in Mumbai.

"Once the results are finalized, we will speak more. In every election seat, money-counting machines were installed. Is it possible that Shinde will get 60 seats, Ajit Pawar will get 40 seats, and BJP will get 125 seats? The people of this state are not dishonest. We have their faith," he added.

Raut also criticized NCP leader Ajit Pawar, whose party is reportedly leading in more than 40 seats, questioning how they managed such a result. "What did they do to get more than 120 seats?" he asked.

Senior Congress leader and former MP Udit Raj also voiced concerns over the integrity of the election process, blaming the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for the results. "As long as there are EVMs, elections cannot be fair," Raj said, referring to the trends in Maharashtra as a victory for the EVM system.

These remarks from the opposition come as the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance crossed the halfway mark, leading in 220 seats, while the MVA alliance trailed with only 52 seats, according to the latest trends from the Election Commission of India at 11 am.

The current trends indicate that the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena is leading in 55 seats, the NCP in 35, and the BJP in 128 seats. The Rashtriya Yuva Swabhiman Party (RYSWP), part of the Mahayuti alliance, leads in one seat.

In contrast, the MVA alliance is faring poorly, with NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar leading in 13 seats, Congress in 20, and the UBT faction of Shiv Sena in 17. The Samajwadi Party, which supports the MVA, leads in two seats.