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25-11-2024
Bureau Report + Agencies
NEW DELHI/ MUMBAI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party and its allies were set to return to power in the nation’s richest state, television channels reported on Saturday, a boost for the Hindu-nationalist leader after a disappointing general election.
In Maharashtra, opens new tab home to India’s financial capital Mumbai, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti alliance was leading in 221 of 288 seats. The opposition Congress party and its allies are leading in 55 seats in the state elections, local media reported.
“The Mahayuti government… has achieved undisputed and resounding success,” Eknath Shinde, the state’s chief minister, said on social media platform X.
Modi lost his majority in parliamentary elections held between April and June and had to depend on fickle allies to form a government. Last month his party won state elections in the northern state of Haryana.
State election wins help political parties boost their numbers in the upper house of parliament, which is key for decision-making.
In the mine-rich eastern Jharkhand state, the ruling regional party Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, which is in alliance with the Congress-led opposition, is leading to regain control by defeating the BJP and its allies, media reported.
Political parties in both states have rolled out a range of measures that they say will benefit farmers and women, both considered critical voting blocks.
Results from Maharashtra and Jharkhand are expected later on Saturday.
At least five exit polls say the Mahayuti alliance could win Maharashtra, trumping the MVA coalition of the Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) or Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).
The Matrize exit poll predicted 150-170 seats for BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP alliance. The MVA could pick up 110-130 seats, while eight to 10 seats are likely to go to others.
According to Peoples Pulse, the Mahayuti could return to power with 175-195 seats, while the MVA might have to be content with 85-112 seats.
Chanakya Strategies gave the Mahayuti 152-160 seats and 130-138 seats to the MVA. Two exit polls favoured the MVA over the Mahayuti.
The exit poll by Lokpoll gave 151-162 seats to the MVA and 115-128 seats to the Mahayuti. The Electoral Edge forecasted a clear victory for the MVA with 150 seats, while giving 118 seats to the Mahayuti and 20 to others.
As per P-Marq, the Mahayuti could win 137 to 157 seats, while the MVA is likely to grab between 126 and 146 seats.
Another pollster, Lokshahi-Marathi Rudra, predicted a close fight between the two alliances, giving 125-140 seats to the MVA and 128-142 seats to the Mahayuti. Others could pick up 18-23 seats. The Dainik Bhaskar exit poll projected 135-150 seats for the Congress and its allies and 125-140 seats for the Mahayuti. Others could bag 20-25 seats.
If the exit polls that have predicted a tight race between the MVA and Mahayuti are to go by, Maharashtra could see a hung Assembly.
In such a scenario, smaller parties and independent candidates are likely to play a major role in the formation of the next government in the western state.
These ‘others’ have been given an average of 12 seats by pollsters.
A hung Assembly is when no political party or alliance is able to secure an absolute majority in the state elections. When this happens, the governor invites the leader of the single largest party to form the government, usually giving the party 10 days to prove an absolute majority.
