The counting to the 288 Assembly seats in Maharashtra began at 8 am on Saturday, in a high-stake polls which will determine the fate of the ruling Mahayuti and main opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
Arrangements are also in place for the counting in Jharkhand's 91 Assembly seats. The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-Congress alliance faces the BJP-led NDA in the eastern state. The results of bypolls, including that of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's debut electoral stint in Kerala's Wayanad, are also expected today.
In Maharashtra, most exit polls give an edge to ruling Mahayuti while the MVA too is upbeat. Senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said on Friday that the Opposition will win 160-165 seats in the Maharashtra assembly polls. The Maha Vikas Aghadi comprises the Congress, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP). "MVA will win 160-615 seats. We will come to power tomorrow and I will be part of the government," said Wadettiwar, the leader of the opposition in the assembly. "The alliance will pick the CM within 12 hours of poll results," he told reporters.
The ruling camp too, buoyed by the exit polls, has already begun discussions for the CM face. BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, who is in the fray, said all three Mahayuti parties will sit together and take a "good decision". However, fissures seem to be appearing as the Shiv Sena Shinde faction claims the top post, stating the election was fought on "CM Shinde's face."
Jharkhand
In Jharkhand, a close fight is likely as some exit polls predict that the BJP-led NDA is likely to oust the ruling JMM-led coalition, while others forecast the return of the INDIA alliance in Jharkhand.
AICC general secretary and Jharkhand in-charge Ghulam Ahmad Mir on Friday claimed the ruling alliance will return to power in Jharkhand with better numbers compared to the 2019 elections.
On the other hand, the BJP camp is hoping that the anti-incumbency will help them wrest power from Soren. The NDA has anchored the campaign in Jharkhand on the JMM-led coalition's alleged corruption and infiltration issues.
