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Most exit polls have predicted a Mahayuti win in Maharashtra. Three exit polls have, however, forecast neither the Mahayuti nor the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) would secure a decisive majority to form government. This may lead to a situation where 'resort politics' may happen.
In Mahayuti, the BJP contested the largest number of seats at 148, followed by the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at 80, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar at 52. Mahayuti candidates are contesting in six more seats.
In the Opposition MVA, the Congress contested 102 seats, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Bal Thackeray) 96 seats, and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) 86 seats. Two seats were contested by Samajwadi Party and two seats by smaller MVA allies.
This was the first election after splits in the NCP and the Shiv Sena. In the 2019 elections, BJP won 105 seats, the undivided Shiv Sena 56, undivided NCP 54, Congress 44, independents 13 and others 16 seats. The results today will have huge implications for all the parties, particularly NCP and Shiv Sena.
Uddhav Thackeray lost his chief ministerial position due to a split in his party in 2022 and the party has been keen to prove a point in the assembly polls. His key rival Eknath Shinde also gained popularity due to welfare measures of the Mahayuti government. And now there is a seeming clash over who is the true inheritor of Balasaheb Thackeray's legacy.
The NCP also suffered a split with Ajit Pawar joining the ruling alliance as Deputy Chief Minister in July last year. His uncle Sharad Pawar kept a tight campaign and has been keen to see that there is no dent to his long legacy in politics.
A lot is at stake for the Congress in Maharashtra after the party is seen to have bungled its prospect in the Haryana assembly polls earlier this year. The BJP formed its third successive government in Haryana earlier this year.
In Jharkhand, while the ruling JMM-led alliance is banking on its work and promises, the NDA is hopeful of getting people's support on its promises and the work of the central government. The campaign saw BJP leaders targeting the JMM-led alliance over its performance and raised the issue of "infiltration" and tribal rights in the state.
Prominent candidates include Chief Minister Hemant Soren, wife Kalpana Soren, and sister-in-law Sita Soren from the JMM. Key BJP leaders include former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi, Assembly Speaker Ravindra Nath Mahto (JMM), AJSU Party chief Sudesh Mahto, and Leader of Opposition Amar Kumar Bauri.
Votes in bypolls will also be counted today. In Kerala's Wayanad, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is contesting the Lok Sabha byelection on the same seat that his brother Rahul Gandhi used to represent before he won this time from Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli. Bypolls were held on seven assembly seats in Rajasthan. In Madhya Pradesh, a by-election was held in Budhni and Vijaypur. In Uttar Pradesh, votes will be counted in the by-polls in nine assembly seats.