Maharashtra, Jharkhand Election Results 2024 Live Updates: All eyes are on the counting of votes and results of the high-stakes Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly elections, which began at 8 am today. In both the states, the BJP-led NDA and the Opposition INDIA bloc parties have locked horns in a fierce battle.
In the 288-seat Maharashtra assembly election, the key contest is between the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti alliance - BJP, Shiv Sena and the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction), and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) - Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction). Most of the exit polls have predicted a win for the Mahayuti alliance - which is aiming to retain power - by a huge margin, against the MVA.
This is the first assembly election since the Shiv Sena and NCP split into rival factions led by Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar.
In the 81-seat Jharkhand assembly election, the ruling JMM-led INDIA bloc is seeking to retain the state, while the BJP-led NDA alliance aims to wrest it from the ruling alliance. While some of the exit polls have predicted an edge to the NDA alliance in Jharkhand, some have also predicted a hung assembly.
Apart from these, results of the bypolls in 15 assembly seats spread across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, and Uttarakhand will also be declared today.