Exit polls will be held tonight
The fate of Maharashtra and Jharkhand candidates will be decided at the EVMs today (Wednesday). In Maharashtra, people exercise their franchise in one phase for all 288 seats, while in Jharkhand, voting is held in two phases. The first phase of voting will be held on November 13. The second phase of voting is taking place in Maharashtra today. Apart from this, voting is underway for by-elections in nine Uttar Pradesh assembly seats and the Kedarnath assembly seat in Uttarakhand. Wayanad, the high-profile assembly seat in Kerala, also went to polls for by-elections. After the vote, results will be awaited, which will be announced on November 23. But before that happens, exit polls will take place tonight and different news channels will tell us who will win. Exit poll data won’t be final, it’s just an estimate.
Mahayuti and MVA contest in Maharashtra
In Maharashtra, where Mahayuthy is trying to hang on to power, the opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) hopes to make a strong comeback. In the grand alliance, the BJP is contesting 149 seats, the Shiv Sena is contesting 81 seats and the NCP led by Ajit Pawar is fielding candidates in 59 constituencies.
In Maha Vikas Aghadi, the Congress party fielded 101 candidates, the Shiv Sena (UBT) fielded 95 candidates and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) fielded 86 candidates. Smaller parties including the Samajwadi Party (BSP) and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) also participated in the election, with the BSP fielding 237 candidates and the AIMIM fielding 17 candidates.
During the campaign, Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, many federal ministers, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and others visited the state to canvass votes for their respective candidates. The grand alliance includes the BJP, the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the NCP led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. The ruling coalition hopes to retain power through its popular schemes targeting women such as Majhi Ladki Bahin.
Will Jharkhand continue the tradition or will Soren create history?
A tough fight is raging between the ruling Indian Union and the National Development Alliance in Jharkhand. The JMM-led alliance is trying to retain power on the basis of its welfare schemes, while the BJP has joined the electoral fray by raising issues such as Hindutva, Bengali infiltration and corruption in the current government. The state has 81 seats. The first phase of voting will be held here on November 13 and the second phase on November 20. If Sauron returns to power, he will make history. If he is defeated, then the tradition that has been going on for 24 years in Jharkhand will continue.
