Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nov 23 (PTI) Shiv Sena nominee Hikmat Udhan defeated former Maharashtra minister and incumbent NCP (SP) MLA Rajesh Tope by a margin of 2,309 votes from the Ghansawangi seat in the assembly polls, results of which were declared on Saturday.

Notably, Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district, which became the epicentre of the Maratha quota agitation led by Majoj Jarange, is part of the Ghansawangi seat.

Also Read | Maharashtra Assembly Poll Results Unexpected, Incomprehensible; Something Fishy, Says Uddhav Thackeray.

Hikmat Udhan had joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena after quitting the Shiv Sena (UBT) ahead of the elections.

Rajesh Tope had won the Ghansawangi constituency in the 2009, 2014 and 2019 assembly elections.

Also Read | Pakur Assembly By-Election Result 2024: Nisat Alam, Wife of Former Jharkhand Minister Alamgir Alam, Wins Seat by Highest Margin of 86,029.

Udhan polled 98,496 votes while Tope's tally stood at 96,187 votes. Independent candidate Satish Ghadage bagged 23,696 votes while VBA nominee Kaveri Khatke polled 20731 votes.

Political experts observed that the consolidation of OBC votes in favour of the Mahayuti coalition could have negated the potential impact of the Maratha caste equation seen in the region in Lok Sabha polls held earlier this year.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)