A fire broke out during the victory celebrations of Shivaji Patil, the newly elected independent candidate from Chandgad, Maharashtra. The fire occurred when women participating in a victory 'aarti' were caught in a blaze after gulal, poured from a crane, fell onto their plates. Eyewitnesses described the chaos as the celebration turned into an emergency situation. Patil sustained injuries, and several others were hospitalized following the incident.
Patil, who won the Chandgad assembly seat with a margin of 24,134 votes, defeated NCP’s Nagesh Patil and Nandatai Babhulkar-Kupekar of NCP-SP. The BJP-led Mahayuti coalition, which includes Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar's NCP, retained power in Maharashtra, winning 230 of the 288 assembly seats. The Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi, by contrast, only secured 46 seats, while the BJP gained 132 seats, Shiv Sena 57, and NCP 41.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut responded to the results, emphasizing that despite their defeat, the party remains steadfast. He recalled the hardships faced by their leader, Balasaheb Thackeray, acknowledging both victories and defeats throughout his life. Raut also noted that many in Maharashtra were disappointed by the election outcome, questioning the lack of celebration among the opposition.
While the election results marked a clear victory for the BJP-led alliance, the celebrations in Chandgad were marred by the fire, which temporarily overshadowed the political festivities. The local authorities are investigating the cause of the blaze, and increased security measures have been put in place to prevent any further incidents during the post-election celebrations.
