MUMBAI: A cursory glance at assembly segment-wise polling for the Lok Sabha elections shows that if an identical voting pattern is followed in the upcoming assembly polls, the saffron combine would secure 230 seats while Congress-NCP would get just 58.

“We are sure a similar voting pattern will be followed in the assembly polls as well. It should not be difficult for the BJP-Shiv Sena to secure a clear majority,’’ said BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari.

State Congress president Manikrao Thakre, though, disagreed with Bhandari’s contention. He said it will be wrong to assume a similar voting pattern for both Lok Sabha and assembly polls. “Lok Sabha elections were contested on a different plank while issues in the state assembly polls will be different. We are sure we will retain power in the state,’’ Thakre said.

From preliminary data, it appears that out of the 288 assembly segments, BJP-Shiv Sena nominees have secured a clear lead over Congress-NCP. In the 58 assembly segments, on the other hand, the Congress-NCP nominees secured a lead over saffron nominees.

More shocking was the fact that in the Mumbai North-Central parliamentary constituency, held by Congress leader Priya Dutt for two consecutive terms, BJP’s Poonam Mahajan secured a comfortable lead in all the six assembly segments—Vile Parle, Chandivli, Kurla, Kalina, Bandra (East) and Bandra (West). Mahajan defeated Dutt by a margin of 1.86 lakh votes.

In South Mumbai, Milind Deora secured a lead only in two assembly segments—Byculla and Mumbadevi. In the remaining segments, his rival, Shiv Sena’s Arvind Sawant, led comfortably.

In South-Central Mumbai, in all the six assembly segments, Sena nominee Rahul Shewale was ahead of sitting MP and Congress nominee Eknath Gaikwad. In North Mumbai, BJP’s Gopal Shetty was ahead in all the six assembly segments; he defeated Congress’ Sanjay Nirupam by over three lakh votes. In North-West, Shiv Sena nominee Gajanan Kirtikar led in five assembly segments, while Congress nominee Gurudas Kamat led in just one—Andheri East. In North-East, BJP’s Kirit Somaiya led in five assembly segments while NCP’s Sanjay Dina Patil in only one segment by just over 200 votes. In neighbouring Thane, Shiv Sena’s Rajan Vichare led in all the six assembly segments against NCP’s Sanjeev Naik.

In Baramati, the hometown of NCP president Sharad Pawar, his daughter Supriya Sule, too, faced a difficult situation to retain her seat. While she won by a margin of 80,000 votes, in the last elections, she had led by over three lakh votes. In Baramati, in three assembly segments—Daund, Purander and Khadakvasla—her rival Mahadev Jankar of Rashtriya Samaj Party, secured more votes than Sule.

In Nashik, public works minister Chhagan Bhujbal trailed in all segments except Igatpuri. In five segments, Sena’s Hemant Godse led by a huge margin. In Bhandara-Gondia, too, NCP candidate and heavy industries minister Praful Patel led only in Tiroda, while in the remaining five, BJP’s Nana Patel was ahead.

