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 will form the government for a second 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 win nearly 130 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 231 seats. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was ahead in 50 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 the alliance winning or in lead on 56 seats. The NDA, which has so far won 8 seats and is leading on 16 other, is shaping up to be a distant second.

The verdict is also out for 48 assembly bypolls across 13 states and two key parliamentary constituencies: Nanded in Maharashtra and Wayanad in Kerala.

Wayand, which was vacated by Rahul Gandhi, was touted as a prestige battle for the Congress. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who made her poll debut from the Kerala seat, comfortably won the parliamentary constituency.

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 won their respective constituencies of Kopri-Pachpakhadi, Nagpur South West, and Baramati, respectively.
4. Opposition leaders saw mixed results: Aaditya Thackeray (Shiv Sena UBT) won Worli, while Congress state president Nana Patole was trailing by 658 votes in Sakoli. However, senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan lost from 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. The JMM-led coalition is set to form the government for a third time, proving wrong exit polls which predicted an NDA victory.
6. Chief Minister Hemant Soren won in Barhait and his wife, Kalpana Soren, was leading 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, won from Seraikela by 20,000 votes.
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. In Uttar Pradesh, bypoll was held on nine seats. The BJP won three seats and was leading on three others, while the Samajwadi Party won two, and Rashtriya Lok Dal was leading on one seat. In Uttarakhand, the BJP won the Kedarnath Assembly seat. In Kerala, Congress won Palakkad seat and CPI(M) won Chelakkara seat.
9. The ruling NDA won three of the four Assembly seats in Bihar, while Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) won one. In the West Bengal bypoll, the Trinamool Congress grabbed all six Assembly seats.
10. In Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party won three seats and Congress claimed one seat. In Rajasthan, the BJP won 5 seats and the Bharat Adivasi Party won one. The Congress was leading on one seat. In Karnataka, the Congress won all three seats-- Sandur, Shiggaon and Channapatna.