Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: In a caste-driven election, an OBC wave propelled BJP-led Mahayuti to victory in 40 of 46 assembly seats in Marathwada. It was a stunning reversal of fortunes for the ruling alliance less than six months after losing seven of the eight seats in Lok Sabha elections. Mahayuti's dominance is reflected in its clean sweep of Jalna — the epicentre of Maratha quota agitation — plus thumping victories in other hotbeds like Beed and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. A large section of OBC voters believed that Manoj Jarange's Maratha agitation was fuelled by NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, and that their quota would be affected if MVA succeeded. This fear led to consolidation of OBC votes in favour of Mahayuti. Maharashtra Jharkhand Maharashtra Alliance View i Party View Seats: 288 Results Majority: 145 BJP+ 229 MVA 47 OTH 12 Results : 288 / 288 BJP+ WON Jharkhand Alliance View i Party View Seats: 81 Results Majority: 41 INDIA 56 NDA 24 OTH 1 Results : 81 / 81 INDIA WON Source: PValue MVA could win only five seats — Rahul Patil of Shiv Sena (UBT) in Parbhani, Pravin Swami of UBT in Umarga, Kailas Patil of UBT in Osmanabad, Sandeep Kshirsagar NCP (SP) in Beed and Amit Deshmukh of Congress in Latur city. In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad City and Rural), Mahayuti won all nine seats. In the six assembly seats in rural parts, three-time MLA Prashant Bamb won Gangapur and minister Abdul Sattar won Sillod in closely fought battles. Sena's Sanjana Jadhav won in Kannad, while sitting MLA Sena's Bornare Ramesh Nanasaheb won from Vaijapur. Anuradha Chavan of BJP won from Phulambri, whereas Sena's Vilas Bhumare won from Paithan. Social activist Vishnu Dhobale said quota agitations by OBCs and Marathas continued to stir Marathwada for over a year. "Even if several demands from these agitations were not within the framework of Constitution, it influenced many. The crowd and chaos impacted the election," he said. Ladki Bahin scheme also won over voters, as many beneficiaries received money in their accounts for the first time ever, he said, pointing out that the BJP-led alliance's campaign was aimed at keeping Hindu votes intact but ignored real issues in Marathwada.
Leaked iPhone 17 Pro Redesign Signals Innovative Camera and Internal EnhancementsA mother and daughter were estranged — then Thanksgiving came. Here's how they spent it.Topline Nissan Motor and Honda Motor plan to enter negotiations for a merger that will likely include Mitsubishi Motors, a deal intended to help the newly formed company compete in the growing electric vehicle market, the Japanese publication Nikkei reported Tuesday. Key Facts Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here . What To Watch For A deal to merge Nissan and Honda would likely be the largest in the automotive industry since a $52 billion deal between Fiat Chrysler and PSA Groupe in January 2021 to form Stellantis, according to Reuters. Big Number 7.4 million. That’s the combined number of vehicles sold globally by Nissan ( 3.4 million ) and Honda ( 4 million ) in 2023. Toyota was the highest-selling Japanese automaker that year with 11.2 million vehicles sold, a 7.2% increase year-over-year. Mitsubishi sold just over 800,000 vehicles. Key Background A reported merger between Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi follows the Japanese automakers entering a strategic partnership in August to share automotive components and software. That deal was intended to have the three companies cooperate on their electric vehicle businesses while agreeing to develop batteries, axles and other technologies. In November, Nissan said its half-year net earnings had fallen more than 90% over the previous year while cutting its annual operating profit guidance by nearly 70%. Both automakers have struggled to sell vehicles across China and Southeast Asia, with Honda’s and Nissan’s sales volume between January and November dropping by 30.7% and 10.5%, respectively, in the regions. A likely merger between the two companies follows a Financial Times report indicating Nissan was seeking an investor to replace equity previously held by Renault, which had ended its decadeslong partnership with the company, and did not rule out Honda buying its shares. Further Reading