New Delhi: The majority mark of the 288-seat Maharashtra assembly is 145 – the number to watch out for, for six parties today. The Mahayuti alliance has a sizeable lead now.
| Party | Won | Leading | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nationalist Congress Party – NCP | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Bharatiya Janata Party – BJP | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Shiv Sena – SHS | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar – NCPSP | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Indian National Congress – INC | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 0 | 21 | 21 |
All eyes are on whether the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Bal Thackeray) and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) can repeat the burst of success it had in the Lok Sabha elections. The ruling Mahayuti alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party is in a test of its own as it looks to cement its status as a viable alliance.
The BJP has contested 149 assembly seats, Shiv Sena, 81 seats, and the NCP, 59.
The Congress has contested 101 seats, the Shiv Sena (UBT), 95, and NCP (SP) in 86. Much of the pre-poll drama was over seat-sharing agreements, with the Congress Maharashtra chief Nana Patole telling The Wire that he does not mind being labelled a “villain” over having fought will allies for a good deal for his party in this regard.
Five constituencies – Andheri East, Andheri West, Pune Cantonment, Kandivali East, and Murbad – are poised to play a critical role in predicting the results. These so-called “bellwether” seats have consistently reflected broader electoral outcomes over the decades.
There are some parties, like the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen which could turn out to be spoilsports for the others, according to an analysis of numbers by The Wire.
Most exit polls – which have been known to go wrong in the last few polls – have predicted a victory for the Mahayuti alliance.
This article was originally published on The Wire on November 23, 2024.
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