Maharashtra Election Result 2024 Highlights: BJP-led Mahayuti ahead in race against Maha Vikas Aghadi, trends show

Major political parties are making arrangements to quickly transport their winning MLAs to the state capitals, Mumbai and Ranchi.
This move is aimed at preventing any attempts at horse-trading or poaching of rival legislators in the crucial period leading up to government formation.

Mahayuti crosses half-way mark in Maharashtra, INDIA in Jharkhand

Mahayuti has crossed the half-way mark of 145 in 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, INDIA bloc crossed half-way mark of 41 seats.
Trends from the ongoing vote count in Maharashtra showed the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in the lead in 157 of the 288 seats, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was ahead in 125 seats.
As per the Election Commission’s data, the BJP was leading in 50 seats, Shiv Sena in 27, and NCP in 22 within the Mahayuti alliance. For the MVA, Congress was leading in 14 seats, the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) in 13, and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) in 12 seats.

With fears of hung assembly in Maharashtra, spotlight on independent candidates

As concerns over a hung assembly in Maharashtra grow, both the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and Mahayuti alliances have started strategic talks with independent candidates and rebel contenders who are expected to be “winnable.” Exit polls indicate that 15-20 independents could secure seats in the 288-member assembly, potentially becoming key players in a tight race.
While many independents have already pledged support to either MVA or Mahayuti, both sides are racing to lock in their backing. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut accused Mahayuti of attempting to bribe independent candidates, suggesting their desperation is a sign of MVA’s likely victory. However, a senior MVA leader acknowledged the tight race, indicating that both alliances might end up with similar seat counts, further intensifying the competition for independent support.

From ‘Hemant dobara’ to ‘NDA under PM Modi,’ leaders exude confidence

In Jharkhand, the INDIA bloc parties have exuded confidence in Hemant Soren’s government formation with JMM’s Manoj Pandey saying, “There is a clear voice from the people of Jharkhand. Iss baar phir Hemant dobara, Hemant Soren will return. Women, students and the people of Jharkhand have reposed their faith and we trust them. The excitement that was seen during the campaigning and day of elections clearly showed that we are coming to power again with an absolute majority.”
Meanwhile, BJP’s national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said that both the states would witness NDA’s victory under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
“In both the places, NDA is going to form its government under the leadership of PM Modi…Exits polls have already come and in a short while, exact polls are also going to come and NDA is going to win… The way questions are being raised on EVM even before the results are announced, it is clear that they (INDIA alliance) have already started worrying about their defeat,” he said.

Counting of votes begin

The counting of votes for the Maharashtra assembly elections began on Saturday morning, with intense focus on the outcome of the contest between the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti coalition and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which is hoping to stage a comeback. Voting results started being tallied at 8am across all counting centers in the state, according to an election official. The state witnessed a single phase voting on November 20.
Meanwhile, counting of votes for the 81 assembly constituencies in Jharkhand also began simultaneously. The elections were conducted in two phases—on November 13 and 20. The first phase covered 43 constituencies, while the second phase saw voting in the remaining 38 seats.