Congress won a majority of seats in Maharashtra's assembly election, extending its dominance over state politics.

The Indian National Congress won 161 of the 288 seats on offer.

That was 16 seats more than it needed for a majority.

Its nearest rival, the Indian Congress (Socialist), won 54 seats.

A new party emerged as the runner-up this election, winning seats in the state for the first time.

The ICS was the only party to make its debut among that year's seat winners.

Turnout — the share of registered voters who actually cast a ballot — rose to 58.1%, up from the previous election.

A few numbers from this election stand out.

The closest race was at Khetwadi, Maharashtra, decided by a margin — how far ahead the winner finished, in votes, over whoever came second — of just 87 votes.

At the other extreme, Melghat, Maharashtra saw the widest margin of the year, 68.8% of the vote separating the top two finishers.

Turnout peaked at Kagal, Maharashtra, where 83.7% of registered voters cast a ballot.

The most crowded contest was Wardha, Maharashtra, where 18 candidates stood for one seat.

The winning party was going by a new name this time, different from the one that had won before.

It won this time as INC, having won last time as Indian National Congress (I).