Elections LIVE | Maharashtra votes in Mahayuti again, Jharkhand retains INDIA bloc
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Few predicted it, and in an election that was supposed to be close, the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is headed for a landslide win in Maharashtra, bagging over 200 seats. In Jharkhand again, the outcome has not gone as per the script, with INDIA Bloc making a stunning comeback, in a late swing of seats.
As per the latest updates, the BJP-led alliance is winning in 225 seats, with the Maha Vikas Aghadi tottering at 55. In Jharkhand, INDIA Bloc is ahead in 51 seats, and NDA in 29.
Here are the bypoll updates from across states:
Kerala: Congress leads in Palakkad and Wayanad (LS); Left in Chelakkara
Karnataka: Congress leads in all three seats
Uttar Pradesh: BJP leads in six seats; SP 3
Punjab: AAP leads in 2 seats; Congress 2
Rajasthan: Congress, BJP and Bharat Adivasi Party lead in two seats each
West Bengal: Trinamool Congress leads in all six Assembly seats
Bihar: NDA leads in two seats.
Uttarakhand: BJP leads
With a dramatic change in its political dynamics over the last two and a half years following a split in the regional forces like Shiv Sena and NCP, Maharashtra witnessed an intense battle between the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) grouping. The Mahayuti comprises the BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde), and Ajit Pawar-led NCP, while the MVA has Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP) as its constituents.
Also read: Graphic Explainer | Maharashtra polls: Six regions, and their electoral dynamics
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Jharkhand witnessed a fierce electoral battle between the ruling JMM-led INDIA bloc and the BJP-led NDA, with the former seeking to retain power and the latter attempting to wrest it from the ruling dispensation.The NDA attacked the JMM-led coalition over corruption and infiltration, criticising ruling party leaders, including the chief minister, who is out on bail. Hemant Soren hit out at the saffron camp, alleging that the Opposition party spent over Rs 500 crore on "malicious campaigns" against him.
Also read: BJP’s aggression over ‘infiltrators’ undercuts JMM in key tribal hubs
Read the live updates here.
Live Updates
- 23 Nov 2024 7:04 PM IST
Maharashtra poll results unexpected, incomprehensible: Uddhav Thackeray
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday called the Maharashtra poll results, in which the BJP-led Mahayuti put up a stunning performance, completely unexpected and incomprehensible.
Addressing a news conference, Thackeray said he could not believe Maharashtra, which listened to him as “kutumb pramukh” (head of family) during the coronavirus pandemic, would behave this way with him.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising Sena (UBT), Congress and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) suffered a crushing defeat, with its candidates winning or leading in about 50 seats, a far cry from the boasts by many of its senior leaders that the combine will trounce the Mahayuti.
Thackeray said the results reflect that there was a tsunami rather than a wave. “We will keep fighting for the rights of Maharashtra,” Thackeray said.
The Mahayuti of BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP could win over 230 of the 288 seats in the state.
Of the 95 seats it contested, the Sena (UBT) was winning or leading in just 20 seats. By contrast, Uddhav's archrival Shinde, who split the Bal Thackeray-founded Shiv Sena in 2022, powered his outfit to an emphatic show. Shinde's Sena was winning or leading in 57 seats as per the latest figures shared by the Election Commission.