Maharashtra Lok Sabha election results 2024: In Uddhav Sena versus Shinde Sena fight, these 5 seats may hold key

Five key seats -- Yavatmal, Sambhaji Nagar, Northwest Mumbai, Hatkanangale, and South Central Mumbai -- will be keenly watched in the Maharashtra Lok Sabha battle between Uddhav Thackeray's Sena against Eknath Shinde's Sena. 

Out of the five seats in question, Shinde Sena is on a strong footing in Yavatmal, Sambhaji Nagar, and Northwest Mumbai. 

The UBT faction looks strong in Hatkanangale. South Central Mumbai remains a toss-up.  

According to India Today-Axis My India's exit poll, the Eknath Shinde faction is likely to win Hingoli, Shirdi, Kalyan, Thane, Bhuldana seats. The Shiv Sena (UBT) is likely to emerge victorious in Maval, South Mumbai, Nashik.

The Shiv Sena and the Shiv Sena (UBT) have contested 15 and 21 seats respectively. While one faction has the edge in seat count, the other is set to capture a significant vote share in Maharashtra. The exit poll predicts that the Shinde faction will win 8-10 seats, with a 13% vote share, while the UBT faction is expected to bag 9-11 seats, commanding up to 20% of the vote share.

The BJP-led NDA is likely to win 28-32 seats out of the total 48 in Maharashtra this Lok Sabha election, the India Today-Axis My India exit poll has predicted. The INDIA bloc, on the other hand, may win 16-20 seats in the state. While the BJP is likely to win 20-22 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats, the Shiv Sena (Shinde) may win 8-10 seats this election. Sharad Pawar's NCP is likely to win 3-5, whereas Ajit Pawar's NCP faction may win only 1-2 seats, the exit poll showed.

Since the split in the Shiv Sena, the Lok Sabha polls is the first big election to test the popularity of the two factions.