(DO NOT PUBLISH | IN THE MORNING) Counting of votes in Maharashtra and Jharkhand will begin at 8 am.

Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly election results: 10 points.

• The 288-seat Maharashtra Assembly held single-phase elections on November 20 with a voter turnout of 66.05 percent. While urban centers like Mumbai saw low voter turnout at 52.65 percent, tribal-dominated Gadchiroli led with 70 percent.

• The ruling Mahayuti alliance, consisting of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, the BJP and Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction, is seeking a second term. On the other hand, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) – a coalition of the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar’s NCP – has fought a tough fight to make a comeback.

• In the Assembly constituencies, Worli is expected to be a hotly contested battle where Shiv Sena (UBT) scion Aaditya Thackeray, the incumbent, will take on Shinde Sena leader Milind Deora. In Baramati, it is uncle Ajit Pawar against nephew Yugendra Pawar of the NCP (SP). Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis may face a tough fight from Congress candidate Prafful Gudade in his bastion of southwest Nagpur.

• The BJP emerged as the largest party in the 2019 elections, winning 105 seats. Along with its then ally Shiv Sena, it won a majority of 161 seats. However, the Shiv Sena severed ties with the BJP and joined hands with the Congress and the NCP to form a Maha Vikas Aghadi government with Uddhav Thackeray as the chief minister. The tenure of the MVA coalition ended in 2022 following the rebellion of Eknath Shinde, who formed the government with the support of the BJP.

• Three exit polls predict the Mahayuti alliance is likely to return to power for a second term with about 158 ​​seats, well above the majority mark of 145 seats. However, another exit poll predicts intense competition with the opposition MVA.

• Jharkhand’s two-phase elections held on November 13 and 20 saw a record 67.74 percent turnout, the highest since the state’s creation in 2000.

• INDIA’s ruling bloc, led by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), is seeking to retain power for a second term. However, the BJP-led NDA intends to seize control using allegations of anti-incumbency and corruption.

• Jharkhand witnessed a high-octane campaign with the BJP accusing the JMM-led government of corruption and appeasement politics, while Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s coalition responded with welfare promises and criticism of alleged misuse of central agencies.

• Key constituencies to watch include Barhait, where Chief Minister Hemant Soren faces the BJP’s Gamaliyan Hembrom, and Gunday, where his wife Kalpana Soren faces the BJP’s Munia Devi. In Seraikella, Champai Soren, a former JMM leader, faces off against Ganesh Mahali, a BJP defector now in the JMM. Meanwhile, Jamtara will witness a high-profile contest between Congress leader Irfan Ansari and Sita Soren, daughter-in-law of Hemant Soren.

• The C-Voter poll predicts a shift in power with the BJP-led NDA potentially winning 34 seats. The INDIA bloc may be short of 26 seats. However, 20 locations are still “too close to call.”

  Health warning: Past elections have shown that exit polls can be unreliable, so these numbers should be taken with a grain of salt.