Dynasts continue to dominate Maharashtra polity

The outcome of the Maharashtra Assembly elections once again underscored the influence of political dynasties, with prominent families retaining their strongholds across the state, including the Thackerays and the Ranes.

Shiv Sena candidate Nilesh Rane and his MLA brother from BJP Nitesh Rane, state minister Uday Samant and his brother Kiran Samant- both from Shiv Sena led by CM Ekanth Shinde- secured victories in the coastal regions of Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri, while the Thackeray family also registered successes in Mumbai.

In Sindhudurg district, Nitesh Rane successfully retained his Kankavli seat, while his elder brother, Nilesh Rane, marked a major victory from the neighbouring Kudal constituency.

Nilesh Rane, a former MP, defeated the incumbent Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA, Vaibhav Naik, from the Kudal constituency. Rane won by a margin of 8,176 votes, polling 81,659 votes in his favour.

Rane brothers' father and former Union minister Narayan Rane had also triumphed in the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, continuing the family's political dominance in the region.

Nitesh Rane successfully retained his Kankavli seat in Sindhudurg by trouncing his nearest rival Sandesh Parkar of Shiv Sena (UBT) by 58,007 votes. Nitesh garnered 1,08,369 votes and Parkar 50,362.

Interestingly, the Rane brothers were not the only ones to dominate in the Konkan region.

In the neighbouring Ratnagiri district, Uday Samant and his brother Kiran Samant won from Ratnagiri and Rajapur constituencies on Shiv Sena tickets, respectively.

The victory marked Kiran Samant's political debut.

Uday Samant polled 1,11,335 votes against his Shiv Sena (UBT) challenger Bal Mane. Kiran Samant polled 80,256 seats, defeating Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Rajan Salvi by 19,677 votes.

In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district in Marathwada region, Ranjanatai alias Sanjana Jadhav of Shiv Sena defeated her estranged husband, Harshavardhan Jadhav, an Independent candidate from the Kannad seat, in a bitterly contested race.

Sanjana Jadhav polled 84,492 votes, defeating Harashvardhan by a margin of 18,201 votes.

Sanjana's win added to the growing presence of Shiv Sena in the region, with her brother Santosh Raosaheb Danve, the incumbent BJP MLA, holding on to his Bhokardan seat in nearby Jalna district.

In Mumbai, Aaditya Thackeray, son of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, retained his Worli seat, trouncing his Shiv Sena rival Milind Deora by 8,801 votes. Aaditya and Deora scored 63,324 and 54,523 votes, respectively.

Aaditya's cousin and Shiv Sena (UBT) nominee Varun Sardesai, handed a drubbing to NCP's Zeeshan Siddique in Vandre East constituency in Mumbai in his debut contest.

Sardesi defeated Siddique, who contested elections days after his father Baba Siddique was shot dead, by 57,708 votes. Sardesai polled 11,365 votes and Siddique 46,343.

Aaditya's father Uddhav Thackeray is an MLC.

Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar successfully retained his Vandre West seat. However, his brother, Vinod Shelar, was defeated by Congress's Aslam Shaikh in a close contest from the Malad West seat.

Ashish Shelar defeated Asif Zakaria of Congress.

However, not all family-backed candidates had an easy run. In Latur, Dhiraj Deshmukh, the son of the late Vilasrao Deshmukh and Congress MLA from Latur rural, faced a setback, losing his seat to the BJP in a tightly contested race.

His elder brother, Amit Deshmukh, managed to hold onto the Latur city seat after a fierce battle with the BJP's candidate Archana Patil Chakurkar.

In the Bhokar constituency, former chief minister Ashok Chavan's daughter and BJP leader Sreejaya Chavan trounced her nearest Congress rival Tirupati Kadam by a margin of 50,551 votes in her debut bout. Sreejaya polled 1,33,187 votes, while Kadam managed 82,636 votes.

As per the latest tally, the Mahayuti alliance has won 219 out of the 288 constituencies, while the MVA of Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), and Congress managed to secure just 42 seats. The counting of votes is still underway.