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Maharashtra Election Result 2024: Exit polls on November 20 had also indicated an edge for the Mahayuti
BJP women workers hold lotus while celebrating NDA’s win Maharashtra Assembly elections. (PTI)
Maharashtra Election Results: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) scripted a historic victory on Saturday as its seat haul crossed more than twice the combined tally of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the Maharashtra elections, votes for which were counted today. The Mahayuti alliance is set to retain power in the state, with the focus now shifting to the race for the chief minister’s post. Political circles are abuzz with reports that the state’s second Brahmin to become the chief minister — Devendra Fadnavis — will don the post for the third time.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to visit the BJP headquarters today evening where he will receive a rousing welcome by the party cadre. In the ruling Mahayuti alliance, the BJP contested 149 assembly seats, Shiv Sena 81 seats, and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP fielded candidates in 59 constituencies. The final turnout in the polls, held on November 20, was 66.05 per cent, up from 61.1 per cent in 2019 — a feat given the urban apathy often blamed in Maharashtra’s urban centres for low polling figures.
Exit polls on November 20 had also indicated an edge for the Mahayuti. ABP-Matrize had predicted 150-170 seats for Mahayuti and 110-130 for the Maha Vikas Aghadi. P-MarQ gave 137-157 seats to the Mahayuti and 126-146 to the MVA. Chanakya predicted 152-160 seats for Mahayuti and 130-138 for the MVA. Poll Diary indicated that Mahayuti may net 137-157 seats and MVA 126-146. People’s Pulse predicted 182 seats for the Mahayuti and 97 for the MVA. Lokshahi Marathi-Rudra foresaw a neck-and-neck fight with 128-142 seats for the Mahayuti and 125-140 for the MVA. Bhaskar Reporters’ Poll was the outlier, predicting 135-150 seats for the MVA and 125-140 for the Mahayuti.
Here are the latest highlights from the 2024 Maharashtra assembly election results:
• Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is leading from his Nagpur South West seat. Also leading is Congress’ Nana Patole.
• Senior Congress leader and the party’s observer for Maharashtra, Ashok Gehlot, has arrived in Mumbai. The Congress had termed the exit polls, which showed a sweep for the Mahayuti, as false, insisting that it would wait for the real results on November 20.
• In Pawar bastion Baramati, Ajit Pawar is leading against Sharad Pawar’s grandson, Yugendra Pawar. Yugendra is a political greenhorn who has been mentored by his grandfather and aunt Supriya Sule.
• Congress leader Supriya Srinate said the Maharashtra results were disappointing “but we are making the government in Jharkhand”. “The election has shown that women voters play a very crucial role. Priyanka Gandhi is also winning [in Wayanad] with a huge margin”. However, she attacked the Election Commission for “working” for BJP, saying: “The way ECI announced the Maharashtra elections so late was so that instalments of Ladki Bahin Yojana could roll out. This shows how EC is working for BJP.”
• Mahayuti strike rate: BJP-84% (122/145), SHS-71% (58/81), NCP-62% (37/59); MVA strike rate: Congress-19.2% (20/102), SHS (UBT)-20.6% (18/92), and NCP (SP)-11.6% (10/86).
