'Fishy': Raut's 'conspiracy' reaction to Mahayuti's strong performance in Maharashtra
What's the story
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has cast doubts over the early election trends of the Maharashtra Assembly polls, which show a clear lead for the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti alliance.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Raut said, "I see a big conspiracy in this."
He added that his party does not accept these results as a reflection of the people's will.
"We don't accept this as people's mandate; something is fishy in election results," he stated.
Election skepticism
Raut questions legitimacy of Mahayuti's victory
Raut further questioned the legitimacy of the victories of all MLAs under Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
He also expressed disbelief over Ajit Pawar's win, considering his controversial political history.
"Even people must be wondering how to accept this mandate," he added.
The Shiv Sena leader alleged that money played a role in the election results, casting further doubt on their validity.
Counterclaim
BJP leader Darekar responds to Raut's allegations
Reacting to Raut's allegations, BJP leader Pravin Darekar said, "Sanjay Raut needs to land his aircraft on the ground."
He stressed that a BJP-led government would add to Maharashtra's progress.
Confident of Devendra Fadnavis being the next chief minister, Darekar said, "This is the reason the public has voted for us."
Election update
Mahayuti alliance leads in Maharashtra Assembly election
As of 11:15am the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance was leading in 222 seats, while the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition was ahead in only 56 seats.
Chief Minister Shinde and his deputies, Fadnavis and Pawar, were also leading in their respective constituencies after initial vote counts.
According to Election Commission data, Shinde led by 4,053 votes from Kopri-Pachpakhadi, Fadnavis by 2,246 votes from Nagpur South-West and Pawar by 3,759 votes from Baramati.