In a major setback for saffron leaders in Mumbai, Speaker of the dissolved Lok Sabha Manohar Joshi, Union ministers Ram Naik and Jayawantiben Mehta lost to new entrants. The Congress-NCP combine and BJP-Shiv Sena scored neck and neck in a keenly contested Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra.
While the BJP-Shiv Sena combine won 25 seats, the Congress-NCP combine won 23 seats.
The Cong-NCP combine bagged five of the six constituencies in Mumbai. Five times winner and Union Minister Ram Naik (BJP) had to bite the dust at the hands of first time entrant and actor Govinda of the Congress from Mumbai North.
Another major upset for the saffron combine was the defeat of Manohar Joshi who was humbled by Congress dark horse Eknath Gaikwad in Mumbai North Central.
Interestingly, the constituency has never returned a member for the second consecutive time.
Prominent among the winners include Sharad Pawar, NCP president from Baramati, former chief minister A R Antulay (INC) from Kulaba and Union ministers Suresh Prabhu and Anant Geete, both Shiv Sena, from Rajapur and Ratnagiri respectively.
Among the unexpected losers were NCP chief Sharad Pawar's close associate Ashok Mohol (NCP) from Khed constituency and Union Power Minister and veteran BJP leader Jayawantiben Mehta from Mumbai South.
In Beed, Jaysingrao Gaikwad Patil, who crossed over from BJP to NCP, emerged victorious.
In Mumbai South Central seat Shiv Sena candidate Mohan Rawale defeated his nearest rival NCP candidate Ahir Sachin by a margin of 22,188 votes. Shiv Sena candidate Narhire Kalpana Ramesh won the Osmanabad (SC) seat defeating NCP candidate Dhobali Laxman Kondiba by a margin of 1649 votes.
In Amravati, Shiv Sena candidate Anant Gudhe defeated his nearest rival independent candidate Omprakash (Bacchu) B Kadu by a margin of 14,234 votes.
Shiv Sena's Tukaram Ganpatrao Renge P won the Prabhani seat by defeating NCP nominee Suresh Ambadasrao Warpudkar by a marging of 56,171 votes.
In Yavatmal seat BJP's Harising Nasru Rathod defeated Congress nominee Uttamrao Deoraoji Patil by a margin of 56,737 votes.
In Malegaon, BJP candidate Harishchandra Devram Chavan defeated JD(S) candidate Mahale Haribhau Shankar by a margin 4,528 votes.
Some of the prominent Congress leaders who tasted defeat were Shivraj Patil Chakurkar (Latur), Prabha Rau (Wardha) and five-time MP Uttamrao Patil (Yavatmal), while senior NCP leader Praful Patel lost from Bhandara.
Ujwala Shinde, wife of chief minister Sushilkumar Shinde lost.
