The counting of votes for the Kasba and Chinchwad Assembly by-elections in Pune began on Tuesday morning. The by-elections were held on April 23 and the results are expected to be declared by the evening. The by-elections were necessitated after the death of BJP MLA Bhimrao Tapkir in February.
The by-elections are being seen as a litmus test for the ruling Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance in Maharashtra. The BJP and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena are pitted against Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena in the by-elections. The BJP has fielded former MLA Laxman Jagtap while the Shiv Sena has fielded former MLA Mahesh Landge.
The by-elections are being seen as a battle between the BJP and the Shiv Sena. The BJP is hoping to make a comeback in the state after its defeat in the 2019 Assembly elections. The BJP had won the Kasba and Chinchwad seats in the 2014 and 2019 Assembly elections.
The by-elections are also being seen as a test of the popularity of the ruling Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance. The alliance has been in power in the state since November 2019. The alliance has been facing criticism over its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis in the state.
The by-elections are also being seen as a test of the popularity of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Thackeray has been in power since November 2019 and has been facing criticism over his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis in the state.
The by-elections are also being seen as a test of the popularity of the BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis. Fadnavis was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 2014 to 2019 and is now the Leader of the Opposition in the state.
The by-elections are also being seen as a test of the popularity of the Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde. Shinde is the leader of the Shiv Sena in the state and is seen as a potential successor to Uddhav Thackeray.
The by-elections are also being seen as a test of the popularity of the NCP’s Ajit Pawar. Pawar is the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and is seen as a potential successor to Uddhav Thackeray.
The by-elections are also being seen as a test of the popularity of the Congress’ Ashok Chavan. Chavan is the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra and is seen as a potential successor to Uddhav Thackeray.
The by-elections are also being seen as a test of the popularity of the Aam Aadmi Party’s Arvind Kejriwal. Kejriwal is the Chief Minister of Delhi and is seen as a potential challenger to Uddhav Thackeray.
The counting of votes for the Kasba and Chinchwad Assembly by-elections began at 8 am on Tuesday. The results are expected to be declared by the evening. The by-elections are being seen as a litmus test for the ruling Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance in Maharashtra. The results of the by-elections will be keenly watched by political observers across the country.
