Shiv Sena candidate Ravindra Waikar on Tuesday won the Mumbai North West Lok Sabha seat by just 48 votes, the smallest margin in Maharashtra in the 2024 general elections.
According to EC data, Waikar bagged 4,52,644 votes, while his nearest rival, Amol Kirtikar of the Shiv Sena (UBT), got 4,52,596 votes in what was a nail-biting finish after a see-saw battle between the two candidates.
Waikar, the MLA from Jogeshwari East seat in suburban Mumbai, had switched over from the opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena earlier this year and his candidature from the Lok Sabha constituency was announced at the last minute.
Trends showed both the candidates leading at different times during the counting of votes. At one point Kirtikar was leading by just one vote.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said he suspects there was something “fishy” in the counting process and added his party was contemplating to challenge the result.
Source Agencies
