The Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday won two seats each in the biennial elections held for the Maharashtra Legislative Council, Loksatta reported. The Nationalist Congress Party secured one seat in the elections.

The counting for Maharashtra Vidhan Parishad elections began at 8 am on Thursday. The polling for six seats – Osmanabad-Beed-Latur, Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Nashik, Parbhani-Hingoli, Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli and Amravati – was held as three NCP members, two BJP members and one Congress member are scheduled to retire from the Upper House of the state legislature on June 21. The polling was held on Monday.

However, the Election Commission on Wednesday deferred the counting of votes for the Osmanabad-Beed-Latur seat, PTI reported. The local body seat saw a contest between Suresh Dhas of the BJP and Ashok Jagdale, an independent leader supported by the NCP and the Congress.

Shiv Sena candidates Narendra Darade and Viplav Bajoriya won from Nashik and Parbhani-Hingoli seats. The BJP candidates from Amravati and Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli – Pravin Pote and Mitesh Bhangdia – won, while the NCP’s Anil Tatkare won from Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg seat.

The NCP is the single largest party with 23 seats in the 78-member Legislative Council, followed by the Congress which has 19 seats. The BJP and the Shiv Sena have 18 and nine seats, while the Janata Dal (United), the Peasants and Workers Party of India, and the Peoples’ Republican Party have one member each. There are six independents in the Legislative Council.