Mumbai: The National Democratic Alliance is currently leading in both Maharashtra and Jharkhand as the vote counting progresses on Saturday.
In Maharashtra, the Mahayuti alliance is ahead with over 211 seats in the 288-member assembly, as per the early trends during the counting on November 23. The MVA is leading in 66 seats according to the initial counts. With the majority mark set at 145 seats, the Mahayuti is poised to regain power in Maharashtra if the current trends continue.
Similarly, in Jharkhand, the BJP-led NDA is leading with 43 seats, as indicated by the postal ballot counting trends reported by television channels. The JMM-led INDIA bloc is leading in 35 seats based on the early counts. The majority mark in Jharkhand is 41 seats.
The state of Maharashtra cast votes for 288 seats in a single phase on November 20, while Jharkhand’s 81 seats were voted for in two phases on November 13 and 20. The Election Commission of India commenced the counting at 8 am on November 23 for both states.
Mahayuti vs MVA in Maharashtra
The electoral battle in Maharashtra is a bipolar contest. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti alliance is fighting to retain power, while the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) seeks to take control from the incumbent state government.
The Mahayuti includes the BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, Ajit Pawar’s NCP, JSS, RSVA, and RYSP. On the other hand, the MVA consists of the Congress, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar’s NCP-SP, and PWPI.
Exit polls mostly favoured Mahayuti in Maharashtra, with People’s Pulse predicting 175-195 seats for Mahayuti and 85-112 for the MVA. Conversely, Electoral Edge forecasted a win for the MVA with 150 seats, leaving 121 for the BJP-led alliance. Lokshahi Rudra anticipated a tight race between the two alliances.
In Jharkhand, Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s JMM, along with the INDIA bloc allies, is challenging the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The INDIA bloc in Jharkhand comprises the JMM, Congress, CPI(ML)L, and RJD, while the NDA consists of the BJP, AJSUP, JD(U), and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas).
The Matrice Exit poll gave the NDA 42-47 seats and the INDIA bloc 25-30 seats. In contrast, Axis My India predicted a victory for the INDIA bloc with a 45 per cent vote share, compared to a 37 per cent share for the NDA. Dainik Bhaskar suggested the possibility of a hung assembly in Jharkhand.
During the 2019 Assembly Elections, the JMM became the largest party with 30 seats, followed by the BJP with 25 seats, and the Congress with 16 seats. The JMM then formed a government with the support of the Congress and RJD.
