Exit Polls: BJP-led alliance may retain Maharashtra, likely to dethrone I.N.D.I.A. bloc in Jharkhand

New Delhi: The BJP-led alliance may return to power in Maharashtra and is likely to dethrone the JMM-led I.N.D.I.A. bloc in Jharkhand, most exit polls said on Wednesday.

If the exit polls turn true, it would be another booster dose for the BJP, which won Haryana in October after under-performing in the Lok Sabha elections contrary to predictions. A defeat in the latest Assembly elections could impact I.N.D.I.A. bloc’s coherence in Parliament.

To be sure, almost all exit polls had gone wrong in both the Lok Sabha and Haryana elections in the recent past. The counting of votes will be on November 23 during which results of bypolls to 46 Assembly seats and two Lok Sabha constituencies will be known.

Except for three of the nine exit polls analysed by DH, the ‘Mahayuti’ of BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP is likely to romp home comfortably. Two gave Maha Vikas Aghadi of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) a clear edge in the elections.

In Jharkhand, two of the six polls went to JMM-led I.N.D.I.A. bloc four others predicted the BJP-led alliance throwing the incumbent out. Exit polls for bypolls in Uttar Pradesh showed 5-6 seats to BJP-RLD and 3-4 for Samajwadi Party.

‘Matrize’ gave Mahayuti 150-170 seats in Maharashtra while MVA was at a distant 110-130 while People’s Pulse gave the maximum for the former (175-195) and the least for the latter (85-112).

Chanakya Strategies gave Mahayuti 152-160 with MVA lagging behind at 130-138. The poll done by JVC gave the BJP coalition 150-167 against MVA’s 107-125. P-Marq gave Mahayuti 137-157 while MVA was predicted to win 126-146. Most of the Marathi channels too gave Mahayuti a clear edge.

However, the poll by Lokshahi-Rudra showed a close fight with Mahayuti predicted to win 128-142 and MVA 125-140.

The two polls that predicted MVA victory were Lokpoll (151-162) and Electoral Edge (150) against Mahayuti’s 115-128 and 121 respectively.

In Jharkhand, four agencies – Matrize (42-47), People’s Pulse (44-53), Chanakya Strategies (45-50) and JVC (40-44) – gave the BJP-led coalition a clear edge while Axis My India gave the JMM-led bloc (49-59) a comfortable victory.

JMM-led I.N.D.I.A. bloc was predicted to win 25-40 seats by the four agencies that predicted a BJP victory.

Another poll that gave the I.N.D.I.A. bloc the edge was Zee News (39-44) against BJP coalition’s (36-41).

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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