Assembly Polls: BJP-led NDA ahead in Maharashtra, INDIA leads in Jharkhand

As of the 10 am counting trends, the Mahayuti-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was leading in over 211 of the 288 seats in Maharashtra, while the Opposition was ahead in 76 constituencies

Election Results 2024: The counting of votes for the Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly elections began at 8 am on Saturday, with final results expected later today. Latest trends at 10:30 am show the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was leading in Maharashtra and the INDIA bloc leading in Jharkhand.

 

In Maharashtra's 288-seat race, the BJP-led Mahayuti faces the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).  Key Mahayuti candidates include Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)’s Ajit Pawar, while MVA contenders include Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray, Yugendra Pawar, and Aditya Thackeray.

 

In Jharkhand, the 81-seat contest pits the Congress-led INDIA alliance against the NDA. CM Hemant Soren seeks re-election, with key INDIA candidates including Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana Soren, and brother Basant Soren. The BJP’s notable candidates include former CMs Babulal Marandi, Champai Soren, and Geeta Koda.

 

Who is leading in Maharashtra? 

 

As of the 10:30 am counting trends, the Mahayuti-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was leading in over 211 of the 288 seats, while the Opposition was ahead in 76 constituencies.

 

Who is leading in Jharkhand? 

 

As per 10:30 am trends, the INDIA alliance leading in 50 seats, while the Opposition alliance NDA was leading 29 seats. Other candidates were leading in two seats. 

 

What do exit polls say?

 

Two exit polls had forecast a decisive win for the Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra. However, analysts frequently caution against relying too heavily on initial trends, as vote counting usually starts with postal ballots. These are later followed by the tallying of electronic voting machine (EVM) results. The postal ballot system allows eligible voters, unable to vote in person on election day, to cast their votes remotely or in advance.

 

Similarly, in Jharkhand, exit polls suggest a clear majority for the NDA which is consistent with early trends. However, exit polls cannot be true all the time as final and accurate results will be declared by the ECI only after the vote count.