Bro, it's done: Maharashtra MLC winner claims chit left for rival in ballot box

NCP (SP) MLC winner Pratapsinh Patil said several chits found inside ballot boxes reflected the anger of voters who felt taken for granted, with one carrying the message, "Satish (Chavan), bro, it is done now; the game is over."Patil defeated sitting MLC Satish Chavan by 18,124 votes after the counting of second-preference votes, securing 85,876 votes against Chavan’s 67,752, an official release said. (File photo)New Delhi,Oct 29, 2026 11:58 ISTA message left inside a ballot box summed up the mood of disgruntled voters in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad Graduates’ Constituency, according to NCP (SP) candidate Pratapsinh Patil, who defeated sitting NCP MLC Satish Chavan in the Legislative Council polls. "Satish (Chavan), bro, it is done now; the game is over," read one of the chits, Patil claimed on Thursday, saying voters express their anger when they feel taken for granted.Patil defeated sitting MLC Satish Chavan by 18,124 votes after the counting of second-preference votes, securing 85,876 votes against Chavan’s 67,752, an official release said. Neither candidate reached the required quota of 88,558 votes, but Patil won on the basis of the final vote count under the applicable counting procedure. "There are many chits, but I cannot say much about them here. One chit read, 'Satish (Chavan), bro, it is done now; the game is over,'" Patil told reporters after his victory.Reflecting on his campaign, Patil said he had only 12-15 days after his candidature was announced but visited 76 talukas to present his vision for the next six years. He thanked graduates and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders for their support, adding, "I had earlier said that when voters are taken for granted, they simply wait for the next voting date."Patil also pointed to what he described as an “invisible power” behind his victory, referring to support from Shiv Sena MLA Abdul Sattar, who backed him despite his party deciding to support Chavan."In a democracy, if a candidate has the ability to work for the constituency and someone supports that candidate, it should be welcomed. This will definitely strengthen democracy. An 'invisible power' helped me a lot because the voters were taken for granted," he said.On the contest involving Shiv Sena (UBT), an MVA ally whose candidate also entered the fray, Patil described it as a friendly fight, saying senior leaders had tried until the last moment to find a solution but failed."From day one, however, there was a photograph of Uddhav Thackeray on our posters and in our manifesto. The graduates saw the merit and voted accordingly. My margin would have been bigger had the votes not been divided," he said.Independent candidate Ravindra Sable Patil secured 19,897 votes, while Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Dilip Ghuge polled 8,489 votes.Across the five Maharashtra Legislative Council constituencies, the BJP and Shiv Sena won one seat each, while the MVA secured the remaining three, including Nagpur, where the contest went down to the wire. Polling took place on October 23, with a turnout of 72.96 per cent, and results were declared on October 28-29.- Ends