One-vote win: Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate wins by narrowest of margins against BJP rival in Maharashtra local polls

The counting of votes for elections to 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis in Maharashtra is currently underway.

• Shiv Sena (UBT) wins Dhoki Panchayat Samiti seat by just one vote over BJP rival
• NCP sweeps Baramati taluka, winning all ZP and Panchayat Samiti seats
• Maharashtra polls saw 68.28 percent voter turnout across 12 ZPs and 125 Samitis

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A Shiv Sena (UBT) contestant won the Dhoki Panchayat Samiti seat in Dharashiv district by just one vote against his BJP rival on Monday, according to PTI.

The counting of votes for elections to 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis in Maharashtra is currently underway.

The seesawing battle for the Dhoki Panchayat Samiti culminated in Amar Samudre's victory, powered by two additional votes he received after the postal ballots were counted.

He secured a total of 3,187 votes while his challenger from the BJP, Nihal Qazi, got 3,186, including three votes from the postal ballots, an official said, adding that 56 votes were cast for NOTA.

Counting of votes is underway for the elections to 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Nagar Panchayat Samiti in Maharashtra.

Elections held this week for 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis in Maharashtra recorded an overall voter turnout of 68.28 per cent, according to the State Election Commission (SEC). Parbhani district registered the highest participation at 74.89 per cent, while Ratnagiri reported the lowest turnout, with 55.79 per cent of eligible voters exercising their franchise, according to PTI.ag

A total of 2,624 candidates contested the Zilla Parishad polls, and 4,814 candidates were in the fray for the Panchayat Samiti elections, which are expected to shape the future of NCP factions of late Ajit Pawar and party founder Sharad Pawar.

In the last elections held in 2017, the NCP emerged as the single largest party, followed by the BJP, Congress and Shiv Sena, with independents and local groups also securing a significant share of seats.

"Poll results reflect PM Modi’s leadership and CM Devendra Fadnavis’ tireless efforts,"  Maharashtra BJP chief Ravindra Chavan told PTI on the Zilla Parishad victory.

Meanwhile, the  NCP also registered a clean sweep in Baramati taluka, winning all six ZP seats, and dominated the panchayat samiti polls by securing all 12 seats. NCP Pune district president Sambhaji Holkar told Indian Express that voters had “paid tribute to Ajit Pawar” by ensuring the party’s victory in the Pune ZP polls. Overall, the NCP is leading in 43 of the 73 ZP seats in Pune district.