NEW DELHI: As counting of votes began on Saturday, BJP-led alliance Mahayuti crossed half-way mark in Maharashtra against Maha Vikas Aghadi, trends show. Meanwhile, the saffron party’s NDA is in neck-and-neck contest with Congress-led INDIA bloc in Jharkhand.
Also See: Election Results 2024
With exit polls offering a wide array of predictions, both sides are preparing for all eventualities.
Assembly Election Results
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.
Also See: Maharashtra Election Results 2024
Fadnavis credits PM, ‘ek hai toh safe hai’ slogan
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday praised the ruling Mahayuti alliance’s strong performance in the assembly elections, attributing it to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his campaign slogan, “Ek hai toh safe hai.”
Fadnavis, who is contesting from the Nagpur South West assembly seat, is leading by a margin of 19,437 votes, according to the Election Commission’s 1 PM update. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), he wrote, “Ek hain toh safe hain. Modi hain toh mumkin hain,” a slogan that was central to PM Modi’s campaign speeches
‘Thank you for thumping majority’
Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde thanked the people of Maharashtra after Mahayuti crossed 200-mark in assembly elections.
“I thank the voters of Maharashtra. This is a landslide victory. I had said before that Mahayuti will get a thumping victory. I thank all sections of the society. I also thank all the workers of the Mahayuti parties,” he said.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut refused to accept the “people’s mandate” and said that there was a “bigger conspiracy.”
“I see a big conspiracy in this…This is not a mandate of Marathi ‘manoos’ and farmers,” he said, adding, “We do not accept this as people’s mandate. Something is fishy in the election results.”
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.
Mahayuti alliance is poised to retain power in Maharashtra, leading in 204 of the 288 assembly seats, according to the latest Election Commission figures.
In contrast, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is struggling, with its candidates leading in only 47 seats based on early trends.
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.