MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Assembly Elections concluded with the declaration of results on Saturday, giving a historic mandate to the ruling Mahayuti while also reviving the EVM debate in the political corridors.
The BJP-led Mahayuti is well above the majority mark and is leading on 215 seats, while the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi is ahead on 65 seats at 1.15 pm, as per the trends.
The Uddhav Sena raised questions on the EVM asking if “it was a free and fair election”. Sanjay Raut, the party MP, also alleged that some seats of the MVA were “stolen”. He claimed that this was not the mandate by the people of Maharashtra and the result was being “forced upon the state”.
The halfway mark in Maharashtra, having 288 seats in the Assembly, is 145, and it is 41 in Jharkhand which has 81 seats in the Assembly.
The BJP is leading on 127 seats, Shiv Sena 48, NCP 35 till this time. Among the MVA, Shiv Sena UBT was ahead on 27 seats, Congress 19, and NCP SP 16 seats.
In Jharkhand, the INDIA bloc crossed the halfway mark and widened its lead as the counting progressed, denting the BJP’s hopes of returning to power in the state, as per the trends.
The NDA was leading in the early stages of counting before the JMM-led INDIA bloc overtook the opposition alliance in Jharkhand. The ruling tie-up has widened its lead since then.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the BJP Headquarters today after 6.30 pm and address the party leaders and workers.
It all came down to today, November 23. The heated election campaigns for Assembly polls in Maharashtra, and Jharkhand and for by-polls in 48 Assembly Constituencies and 2 Parliamentary Constituencies spread across 15 states will find their outcome as the counting of votes began at 8 am. The results can be followed throughout the day at https://results.eci.gov.in
The fates of some top leaders in Mumbai, including Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar, Aaditya Thackeray, and others were on the line in the Maharashtra polls, while Hemant Soren, Kalpana Soren, and Babulal Marandi were some high-profile leaders in the Jharkhand Elections whose fates were decided as the votes were counted.
Among the by-polls, the Wayanad Parliamentary by-election was crucial as Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi made her electoral debut from the seat against BJP’s Navya Haridas. Nine seats in Uttar Pradesh also went for Assembly by-polls.
