Why 'abp maza' Trended: Praful Patel's Critique of Mahayuti MLC Seat Allocation

The search term abp maza experienced a 75% surge in interest around October 8, 2026, according to Google Trends. This spike was driven by the Marathi news channel's coverage of the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) elections, specifically an interview with NCP leader Praful Patel that highlighted internal tensions within the Mahayuti alliance.

Praful Patel's Challenge to Mahayuti Agreements

In a discussion with ABP Majha on October 8, 2026, Praful Patel expressed dissatisfaction over how seats were distributed for the graduate and teacher constituencies. He pointed out a contradiction in the alliance's strategy: while it was understood that these seats were allotted to the BJP, Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena still fielded a candidate for a teacher seat.

Patel emphasized that the lack of a seat for the NCP in the Pune Graduate constituency caused disappointment among party workers across several districts, including Solapur, Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, and Pune. He argued that the NCP should have been included in internal discussions regarding their candidacy for the Pune Graduate seat, similar to the leeway given to the Shiv Sena.

Maharashtra MLC Election 2026: Schedule and Candidates

The 2026 elections for the Maharashtra Vidhan Parishad involve three graduate and two teacher constituencies. The timeline for these polls is as follows:

• Polling Date: October 23, 2026
• Counting and Results: October 27, 2026

The political landscape for these seats is highly competitive, with various factions from the Mahayuti and MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) vying for victory. Based on reporting from ABP Majha and Saam TV, the provisional candidates include:

Constituency	Candidate	Party/Faction
Aurangabad Graduate	Satish Bhanudas Chavan	NCP (Sharad Pawar/MVA)
Pune Graduate	Arun Ganpati Lad	NCP (Sharad Pawar/MVA)
Nagpur Graduate	Abhijit Govindrao Vanjari	Congress
Amravati Teacher	Kiran Ramrao Sarnaik	Shiv Sena (Shinde group)
Pune Teacher	Jayant Dinkar Asgaonkar	Congress

Friction in Amravati and Alliance Stability

The instability is not limited to the Mahayuti. Reports from Divya Marathi indicate a split in both the Mahayuti and MVA alliances regarding the Amravati Teacher constituency. Despite the seat being officially assigned to the Shiv Sena within the Mahayuti framework, the BJP and the Yuva Swabhiman Party have reportedly decided to contest independently, signaling a breakdown in coordination ahead of the October 23 vote.