Zeeshan Siddique Loses Vandre East To Uddhav Thackeray's Nephew Varun Sardesai

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Zeeshan Siddique, son of late politician Baba Siddique, has lost in Vandre East in Mumbai even as the Mahayuti coalition swept Maharashtra elections. Uddhav Thackeray's nephew Varun Sardesai of the Shiv Sena (UBT) won from Vandre East by a margin of over 11,000 votes - Mr Sardesai won over 57,000 seats as against Mr Siddique's 46,000 votes.

Zeeshan Siddique, who had joined the Ajit Pawar-led faction last month following his father's footsteps, conceded the elections while thanking the voters in an online post.

"I humbly accept the mandate of the people of my Vandre East assembly constituency. I wish Varun all the best. I promise to continue working hard towards the development and betterment of Vandre East, Mumbai, and Maharashtra. I thank each one of you who trusted me and voted for me and stood by me during these tough times," he said on X.

Mr Siddique, who had won Vandre East in 2019 as a Congress member, was expelled by the party earlier this year amid allegations over crossvoting during the legislative council elections. In remarks days after Baba Siddique was shot dead, he had accused the Maha Vikas Aghadi of deserting him and his father.

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The NCP is part of the Mahayuti alliance, which also comprises the BJP and the Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena. The party has won 41 seats while the senior partner BJP won 132 and Shiv Sena 56. The Sharad Pawar faction has been able to win just 10 seats while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi has collectively won 46 seats, shows the Election Commission website.

In Jharkhand, the coalition comprising Hemant Soren's Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Congress, and RJD are set for a big victory, having crossed the majority mark.   

Results for the bypolls to 48 assembly seats and two parliamentary constituencies in 15 different states are also being declared today (check here)