Jharkhand Assembly Election Results 2024 Live Updates: By 8 am today, the counting of postal ballots will begin and by 9 am, trends and results are expected to trickle in
Maharashtra, Jharkhand Election Results 2024 Live Updates: All eyes are on the counting of votes and results of the high-stakes Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly elections, which will begin at 8 am today. In both the states, the BJP-led NDA alliance and the Opposition INDIA bloc parties have locked horns in a fierce battle.
In the 288-seat Maharashtra assembly election, the key contest is between the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti alliance – BJP, Shiv Sena and the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction), and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) – Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction). While the BJP is contesting on 149 seats, Shiv Sena (81) and Ajit Pawar’s NCP (59) in the Mahayuti alliance, the Congress is fighting on 101 seats, Shiv Sena (UBT) on 95 and NCP (SP) on 86 seats in the MVA group.
Most of the exit polls have predicted a win for the Mahayuti alliance – which is aiming to retain power – by a huge margin, against the MVA.
This is the first assembly election since the Shiv Sena and NCP split into rival factions led by Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. Some key candidates include Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, former Maharashtra Chief Minister’s son Aaditya Thackeray, and Ajit Pawar, among others.
In the 81-seat Jharkhand assembly election, the ruling JMM-led INDIA bloc is seeking a comeback, while the BJP-led NDA alliance aims to wrest it from the ruling alliance. The JMM fought the election in 41 assembly seats, while its allies and their seats include: Congress (30), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) (6), and Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (4). On the other hand, the Opposition BJP in Jharkhand contested 68 seats, and its allies – All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) on 10 seats, Janata Dal (United) (2), and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) (1).
While some of the exit polls have predicted an edge to the NDA alliance in Jharkhand, some have also predicted a hung assembly.
Some of the key candidates include: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren – for who it will be a litmus test following his arrest in January this year, JMM’s Rabindra Nath Mahato, Champai Soren, among others.
Apart from these, results of the bypolls in 15 assembly seats spread across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, and Uttarakhand will also be declared today.
The counting of votes for byelections will begin at 8 am. Over the past few weeks, bypolls were held on 48 assembly seats in 14 states – Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Elections were also held on two Lok Sabha seats – Kerala’s Wayanad and Maharashtra’s Nanded.
These elections mark the electoral debut of Congress’ Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is contesting in Wayanad, earlier held by her brother Rahul Gandhi. The election was necessitated in Wayanad after Rahul Gandhi won both Wayanad and Rae Bareli seats and decided to retain the latter.
Rahul Gandhi has been actively campaigning for his sister Priyanka Gandhi. In one of the election rallies, he said, “If she likes you, she will do whatever; beyond anything you can imagine. She is also going to like Wayanad a lot. You see, a huge part of being a good MP is that you like the people and place you work for. She is going to like it.”
READ | Will Priyanka Gandhi Be A Better MP For Wayanad? Rahul Gandhi Responds
The bypolls results for six assembly seats in West Bengal will be interesting and a test for the ruling Trinamool Congress as protests in the RG Kar rape and murder case continue.
The TMC hopes to maintain the momentum set since 2021, having won nearly all assembly by-polls, except Sagardighi in February 2023.