Maharashtra rural polls: Voting was held for 557 gram panchayats across 16 districts. (File)
Maharashtra's rival coalitions, the ruling Eknath Shinde-BJP alliance and the ousted Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) have both claimed victory in Gram Panchayat or rural body elections held two days ago.
The Maharashtra BJP has claimed that 259 candidates backed by the party and 40 nominees backed by the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena have been elected as sarpanchs in the polls held on Sunday.
Devendra Fadnavis, the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, said the BJP has become the "number 1 party" in Maharashtra again.
Voting was held for 557 gram panchayats, or village governing bodies, spread across 16 districts of the state. The polls are important as they are seen as a barometer of any political party's grip on voters at the grassroots.
The elections were not contested on party symbols, so claims about seats won have been flying between the two main coalitions, who are locked in a bitter legal battle. For the ruling alliance, less than three months in power, the results are crucial to establish its support in the state.
The votes were counted on Monday. Polls were also held for village sarpanchs or chiefs.
Speaking to the media with the Chief Minister by his side, Devendra Fadnavis said the Shinde faction is the "real Shiv Sena" and follows the legacy of its founder Balasaheb Thackeray. "Shiv Sena led by BJP and Chief Minister Eknathrao Shinde got resounding success in Gram Panchayat elections. BJP has become the number 1 party again," Mr Fadnavis tweeted.
The opposition MVA of the Shiv Sena, Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress, presented different figures.
Until late last night, leaders of the alliance said the results of 494 Gram Panchayat elections were out.
According to them, the BJP has won 144 seats, NCP has won 126 seats, the Congress has won 62 seats, the Shinde Sena has won 41 and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena has won 37.
By the MVA's count, therefore, it has won 225 of 494 seats while the Eknath Shinde-BJP alliance has won 185 seats.
"Some are saying they are on number one, number two... reality is, these elections are not fought on political symbols. If a sarpanch writes and says that I support this party, then it's a different thing. As per the numbers you are showing, MVA has the highest seats. But I will repeat that these elections are not fought on political party symbols," senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar said.
Asked about Mr Fadnavis' claim that the BJP-Shinde camp alliance has won 300 seats, Mr Pawar said, "If he is saying they have won 300 seats, I will claim I have won 400."
Eknath Shinde became Maharashtra Chief Minister in June after staging a coup against Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and walking out with 39 MLAs.