According to initial results, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena is leading in 53 seats, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in 33, and the BJP has the most, leading in 100 seats, while the Rashtriya Yuva Swabhiman Party (RYSWP), a party of the Mahayuti alliance, has one seat.
Meanwhile, in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) is leading in 12 seats, Congress in 17 seats, and the UBT Sena in 18 seats. The Samajwadi Party, part of the Aghadi alliance, has secured leads in 2 seats.
Other parties, including Jan Surajya Shakti (JSS), are leading in three seats. The Peasants and Workers Party of India (PWPI) is leading in two seats, and Swatantra Bharat Paksha (SBP) is leading in one seat. These smaller parties are likely to support the MVA alliance.
Counting for the 2024 Jharkhand and Maharashtra Assembly Elections began at 8 a.m. today, alongside bypoll results from 15 states. The counting, which will decide the fate of the 288 seats in Maharashtra and 81 in Jharkhand, is expected to reveal trends in the first few hours.
In Maharashtra, polling for the Legislative Assembly was held on Wednesday, with a turnout of over 66 per cent, surpassing the 61 per cent recorded in the 2019 elections. The Mahayuti alliance, which includes the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, is in a tough contest with the MVA alliance, consisting of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP). Both alliances view the increased voter turnout as a sign of support for their respective campaigns.
State Chief Electoral Officer S Chockalingam praised efforts to increase voter participation, especially in Mumbai. “The Election Commission of India gave significant focus, attention, and time to Maharashtra this time. Each strategy was conceptualised and implemented with high precision. This resulted in a significant addition to the voter list between the Parliament election and the current election. Efforts were made to ease voting, especially in places like Mumbai, where there were challenges during the parliamentary elections. This time, everyone appreciated the arrangements,” he said. He also thanked nearly 6 lakh officials who ensured smooth voting.
The bypolls were held in 48 assembly seats and two Lok Sabha seats across 15 states, with notable contests in Uttar Pradesh and Wayanad, Kerala, where Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra made her electoral debut.
(ANI)