NDA's monster win in Maharashtra, INDIA retains Jharkhand

Maharashtra, Jharkhand election results: The Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra comfortably crossed the majority mark, securing its return to power. In Jharkhand, the ruling JMM-Congress coalition edged ahead of the BJP-led NDA and is poised to form the government for a third term.

In Short

• Vote count for Maharashtra, Jharkhand, bypolls in 13 states underway
• Mahayuti crosses halfway mark of 145 in Maharashtra
• JMM-led INDIA bloc appears set to retain power in Jharkhand

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is headed for a landslide in Maharashtra, with the BJP poised to cross 100 seats and solidify its position as the state’s largest party, rebounding strongly from its Lok Sabha poll setbacks. In Jharkhand, the JMM-Congress coalition defied exit polls, crossing the majority mark and securing a third straight term in power.

In Maharashtra, the ruling Mahayuti alliance—comprising the BJP, Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction, and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena—sailed past the halfway mark. The alliance had won or was leading in 227 seats. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was ahead in 54 seats in the 288-member Assembly, where the majority mark is 145.

Jharkhand witnessed a pitched battle initially, but the ruling coalition led by Hemant Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) eventually went past the majority mark of 41 in the 81-member assembly, with leads in 55 seats. The NDA, ahead in 25 seats, was shaping up to be a distant second.

Results are also expected for 48 assembly bypolls across 13 states and two key parliamentary constituencies: Nanded in Maharashtra and Wayanad in Kerala.

Wayanad is also a prestige battle for the Congress, with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's electoral debut in focus after her brother Rahul Gandhi, who previously represented the constituency in the Lok Sabha, vacated the seat.

Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly election results: 10 points

1. Though counting is still underway, the ruling Mahayuti alliance was on track to retain power in Maharashtra with a massive mandate. At a post-victory press briefing, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputies, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, attributed their success to the Ladki Bahin Yojana, a women-centric welfare scheme, dubbing it a "game changer".

2. As the MVA alliance stared at a crushing defeat, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut rejected the results as "rigged".

   "Has any party in this state ever gotten 200 seats? This cannot be the decision of the people of Maharashtra. If MVA cannot win 75 seats, that means Modi and Shah have rigged the results. This is a mandate managed by Adani and gang," Raut claimed.

3. In individual contests, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar were leading in their respective constituencies of Kopri-Pachpakhadi, Nagpur South West, and Baramati, respectively.
4. Opposition leaders saw mixed results: Aaditya Thackeray (Shiv Sena UBT) was leading in Worli, while Congress state president Nana Patole was ahead in Sakoli. However, senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan was trailing in Karad South.
5. In Jharkhand, the INDIA bloc, led by Hemant Soren’s JMM, pulled off a surprising turnaround, edging past the BJP-led NDA in a closely fought race. The JMM-led coalition was on course to form the government for a third time, proving wrong exit polls which predicted an NDA victory.
6. Chief Minister Hemant Soren was leading in Barhait, though his wife, Kalpana Soren, trailed in Gandey against BJP rival Muniya Devi. BJP state chief Babulal Marandi led in Dhanwar, while former Chief Minister Champai Soren, who shifted to the BJP from the JMM, was trailing against the JMM's Ganesh Mahli in Seraikela.
7. Meanwhile, in the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll, debutante Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was leading by over 4 lakh votes. According to Election Commission figures, the Congress leader had 6,22,338 votes, far ahead of LDF candidate Sathyan Mokeri at 2,11,407 and BJP’s Navya Haridas with 1,09,939 votes.
8. Counting was also underway for bypolls in Uttar Pradesh, where the ruling BJP was leading in four of the nine seats contested, while the Samajwadi Party was ahead in two constituencies.
9. The ruling NDA in Bihar gained early leads in three of the four assembly seats where bypolls were held on November 13. In West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress established commanding leads in all six constituencies up for grabs.
10. In Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress were ahead in two seats each. In Rajasthan, the BJP, Congress, and Bharat Adivasi Party were leading in two constituencies each. In Karnataka, the Congress was leading in the Sandur segment, while the BJP and JD(S) were ahead in Shiggaon and Channapatna, respectively.