Early results of the Maharashtra Assembly elections indicate a landslide victory for the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, which has already surpassed the majority threshold.
Around noon, Mahayuti was leading in 223 out of Maharashtra’s 288 assembly seats, much ahead of the magic mark of 145. The Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance is trailing with a lead in mere 63 seats.
In Jharkhand, the INDIA bloc, spearheaded by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), is leading in 50 of the 81 seats. The BJP and its allies are leading in 30 seats.
Vote tallying for assembly elections in both Maharashtra and Jharkhand kicked off at 8 am on Saturday.
In Maharashtra, voter turnout hit a new high at 66 per cent, an increase from 61 per cent in the 2019 elections. This election holds particular significance as the first since both Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) experienced internal splits. The BJP-led Mahayuti, which includes the Shiv Sena faction and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, is vying to secure another term, while the MVA, featuring Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar’s NCP, aims to reclaim power.
Most exit polls had predicted a comfortable win for the Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra, though a few anticipated a tight race. The BJP fielded candidates in 149 seats, while its allies — Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction — contested 81 and 59 seats, respectively. Within the MVA coalition, the Congress ran in 101 seats, Shiv Sena (UBT) in 95 and the NCP (SCP) in 86.
In Jharkhand, the NDA coalition fielded candidates in 68 seats, with its ally AJSU Party contesting in 10. The INDIA bloc, comprised of JMM, Congress, RJD and CPI(ML), has spread its candidates across 43, 30, 6, and 4 seats respectively.
BJP-led Mahayuti head for landslide victory in Maharashtra; INDIA bloc holds lead in Jharkhand
