New Delhi [India]: As counting of the votes for assembly polls is underway, BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla said that the BJP-led NDA alliance will form the government in both Maharashtra and Jharkhand under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.
Taking a swipe at the opposition alliance, Poonawalla remarked that their pre-emptive questioning of EVMs ahead of the election results reveals their growing anxiety over an impending defeat.
Speaking to ANI here, Poonawalla said, "In both the places, NDA is going to form its government under the leadership of PM Modi. Exits polls have already come and in a short while, exact polls are also going to come and NDA is going to win. The way questions are being raised on EVM even before the results are announced, it is clear that they (INDIA alliance) have already started worrying about their defeat."
Meanwhile, early trends in Maharashtra's 2024 Assembly Elections show the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in the lead as of 9:10 AM on Saturday.
As per initial results, theBJP is leading in 50 seat, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena is leading in twenty seven seats, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in twenty two seats.
Meanwhile, from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the Nationalist Congress Party - Sharad Chandra Pawar (NCP-SP) is leading in f4 seats and Congress in thirteen seats and the UBT Sena in twelcve seats.
Meanwhile, the counting for the 2024 Jharkhand and Maharashtra Assembly Elections began at 8 AM, along with bypoll results from 15 states. The counting, which will decide the fate of the 288 seats in Maharashtra and 81 in Jharkhand, is expected to reveal trends in the first few hours.
In Maharashtra, the polling for the Legislative Assembly was held on Wednesday, with a turnout of over 66 percent, surpassing the 61 percent recorded in the 2019 elections. The Mahayuti alliance, which includes the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, is in a tough contest with the MVA alliance consisting of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP).
In Jharkhand, the contest is between the JMM-led alliance, comprising Congress, RJD, and CPI(ML), and the BJP-led NDA alliance, which includes AJSU, JD(U), and LJP. Exit polls predict the NDA could win between 42-47 seats, while the JMM-led alliance is expected to secure 25-30 seats.
Voter turnout in Jharkhand was reported at over 68.45 percent on election day, surpassing the 2019 elections turnout of 65 percent. In the 2019 elections, the JMM won 30 seats, BJP 25, and Congress 16 seats. The results for all 81 constituencies in Jharkhand, along with the Maharashtra and bypoll results, will be declared today.
The bypolls were held in 48 assembly seats and two Lok Sabha seats across 15 states, with notable contests in Uttar Pradesh and Wayanad, Kerala, where Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra made her electoral debut. (ANI)
