Election Results 2024 Highlights: INDIA bloc takes comfortable lead in Jharkhand; Mahayuti set for landslide win in Maharashtra

As per the latest ECI trends, JMM's Mahua Maji is trailing by over 27,700 seats in Ranchi. Chandreshwar Singh of the BJP is ahead, having garnered over 35,800 votes as Round 5 of counting gets underway. In the 2019 assembly elections, BJP candidate CP Singh retained the seat, defeating Maji.

Worli is witnessing a close contest with Shiv Sena's Milind Deora ahead of Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Aaditya Thackeray by around 600 votes. In the 2019 assembly elections, Aaditya emerged victorious from the Worli constituency by defeating Suresh Mane, who contested on Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ticket.

Shiv Sena workers have already started celebrations outside Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde's residence as Mahayuti is on its way to winning with a thumping majority in Maharashtra. As per the latest ECI trends, Mahayuti is leading on 216 seats with BJP alone taking lead on 124 seats.

Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar camp is celebrating outside the deputy chief minister's residence. Ajit Pawar is leading with a margin of over 34,000 votes in Baramati against nearest rival NCP (SP)'s Yugendra Shrinivas Pawar.

As per the latest ECI trends, Irfan Ansari of the Congress is leading by over 19,000 votes against BJP candidate Sita Soren in Jharkhand's Jamtara. In the 2019 assembly elections, Ansari had emerged victorious from Jamtara defeating BJP's Birendra Mandal of BJP by a margin of 38,741 which was 18.24% of the total votes cast for the seat.

According to the poll body, this Jharkhand constituency recorded 75.01% voter turnout in the recently-concluded elections.

Maharashtra elections have been disappointing, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate said as Mahayuti took lead on over 200 seats. "Maharashtra election results are opposite of our expectations. There is no doubt that we could have done better. Maharashtra elections have been disappointing. In Maharashtra, our campaign was good but maybe the public expects more from us and we will deliver on their expectations. At the same time, we are happy that we have performed well in Jharkhand and we are going to repeat govt in the state" Shrinate said.

As Mahayuti has crossed halfway mark in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut said this was not the decision of the public. "This cannot be the decision of the people of Maharashtra. We know what the people of Maharashtra want. From what we are seeing, it seems that something is wrong. This was not the decision of the public. Everyone will understand what is wrong here. What did they (Mahayuti) do that they are getting more than 120 seats? How is it that MVA is getting not even 75 seats in Maharashtra," Raut said.

Kalpana Soren, wife of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren & JMM candidate for Gandey assembly, trailing by a margin of 3128 votes, after round 1/21 of counting as per latest EC data. JMM-led INDIA bloc has crossed the majority mark in Jharkhand, as per official EC trends, currently leading on 51 of the 81 seats.

The ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance appeared set to retain power in Maharashtra, and is leading in 216 of the 288 assembly seats, as per the latest figures by the Election Commission. The opposition MVA is stumbling, with its candidates leading in just 47 seats, as per the trends.

As per ECI figures, in the Mahayuti, BJP candidates are leading in 122 seats, Shiv Sena in 57 and NCP in 37 seats. In the MVA, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) candidates are leading in 10 seats, Congress in 20 and Shiv Sena (UBT) in 18 seats.

Jharkhand BJP chief Babulal Marandi is leading by 1,840 votes over CPIML's Rajkumar Yadav in Dhanwar assembly seat after the first round of counting of votes, according to the Election Commission of India. Marandi won the Dhanwar seat in the 2019 assembly polls as a Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) candidate by defeating BJP's Lakshman Prasad Singh by a margin of 17,550 votes. Later, he joined the BJP.

• Mahagathbandhan leading on 46 seats, crosses the halfway mark of 40 - JMM 27, Congress 11, RJD 6 and CPI(ML)(L) 2
• NDA leading on 26 seats (BJP 24, AJSUP 1 and JDU 1)

• Mahagathbandhan leading on 37 seats - JMM 20, Congress 10, RJD 5 and CPI(ML)(L) 2
• NDA leading on 22 seats (BJP 21 and AJSUP 1)
• JLKM leading on 2 seats
• Others & Independent on 2 seats

• Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren is leading from Barhait against BJP's Gamliyel Hembrom.
• In Seraikela, former CM and BJP nominee Champai Soren is trailing against the JMM's Ganesh Mahli.
• Kumar Jaimangal Singh (Congress) leading by a margin of 3,610 votes over his nearest rival Ravindra Pandey (BJP) in Bermo.

As per the latest trends by the Election Commission, Mahagathbandhan is leading on 15 seats-

Mahagathbandhan leading on 15 seats - JMM 5, Congress 5, RJD 3 and CPI(ML)(L) 2

NDA leading on 10 seats - BJP 7 and AJSUP 3

According to poll officials, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde is leading by over 4,000 votes from Kopri-Pachpakhadi assembly seat at the end of first round. He is up against Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Kedar Prakash Dighe and Babu Kumar Kashinath Kamble from Lokrajya Party.

Deputy CM and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis is leading by 2,246 votes from Nagpur South-West at end of first round, officials said. If Fadnavis wins, this would be his fourth term from the constituency.

As per initial trends by Election Commission, Mahagathbandhan is leading on 6 seats-

JMM - 1

Congress -2

RJD - 2

CPI(ML)(L) - 1

BJP leading on 31 seats

Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) leading on 20 seats

NCP (Ajit Pawar) leading on 15 seats

NCP (SP) leading on 8 seats

Congress leading on 5 seats

Shiv Sena (UBT) leading on 4 seats

As per the initial trends by the Election Commission, both Congress and CPI(ML)(L) are leading on 1 seat each.

The district authorities in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar have banned victory processions on Saturday when the results of the state assembly elections will be declared. "I have spoken to the top police officials from the city as well as rural parts of the district. When the results come out, the situation turns a little tense. So in order to avoid law and order issues, we are not going to allow any victory procession on the result day," district collector Dilip Swami said after a meeting with top police officials on Friday.

As per the initial trends by the Election Commission, Shiv Sena, NCP and BJP of the Mahayuti are leading on 3, 3 and 1 seat respectively. Sharad Pawar-led NCP-SCP of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leading on 1 seat.

Former Jharkhand CM and BJP candidate Champai Soren is leading from Seraikella, early trends show. A close aide of the Soren family, Champai served as Jharkhand CM when Hemant Soren was arrested by ED in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. Days after Hemant Soren's release from jail on June 28, Champai quit paving the way for the former CM. However, more drama unfolded when Champai left JMM accusing the Jharkhand government of putting him under surveillance. He joined the BJP on August 30.

The 81-member Jharkhand assembly voted in two phases — November 13 and November 20. Some of the prominent faces who contested the assembly polls include CM Hemant Soren (Barhait), state BJP chief Babulal Marandi (Dhanwar), Kalpana Soren (Gandey), Sita Soren (Jamtara), Champai Soren (Seraikella) and Mahua Maji (Ranchi).

As per the early trends, these candidates are leading in Maharashtra:

Nana Patole (Congress) - Sakoli

Eknath Shinde (Shiv Sena) - Kopri Pachpakhadi

Rohit Pawar (NCP-SP) - Karjad Jamkhed

Rahul Narwekar (BJP) - Colaba

Dhananjay Munde (NCP) - Parli

Union minister Ramdas Athawale said he is confident that the Mahayuti will form government. "Early trends are coming in favour of Mahayuti and we can see that Mahayuti is getting a clear majority. I can say it for sure that Mahayuti is going to form government," Athawale said.

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has collected letters of support from more than 160 of its candidates and some independents in Maharashtra, pledging their backing for the alliance in forming a government in the state if voted to power. The letters of support collected from more than 160 candidates will be presented to the governor after declaration of results, sources said. The MVA comprises the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP) of Sharad Pawar and Congress.

Jharkhand BJP chief Babulal Marandi exuded confidence about the NDA's victory in the assembly elections held in two phases. "We are confident; the way our party workers have worked at war footing, I can say that results will be in favour of BJP and NDA," Marandi said. He is the BJP candidate from Saraikela assembly constituency.

Counting of votes for the 81-member Jharkhand assembly began at 8am. The trends and results are likely to start trickling in by 9am. At 67.74%, Jharkhand witnessed the highest voter turnout since the formation of the state on November 15, 2000. The elections were held in two phases – November 13 and 20. The first phase covered 43 constituencies out of the total 81 seats, while the second phase saw voting in 38 seats.

Counting of votes in the Maharashtra assembly elections began at 8am, with all eyes on the outcome of the battle between the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti coalition and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, which is seeking to make a comeback. At the counting centres, officials first began verifying and counting the postal ballots, with the counting of EVM votes scheduled to start at 8.30 am. There will be a minimum of 20 rounds of counting in each assembly segment, an official said.

Devendra Fadnavis: The two time CM is the strongest contender for the post. Fadnavis spearheaded the BJP's campaign for the assembly elections. He played a pivotal role in seat-sharing negotiations with the Shiv Sena and NCP and in candidate selection.

Eknath Shinde: A protege of late Shiv Sena leader Anand Dighe who was known for his fund raising and networking skills, Shinde has an experience of over three decades in politics. He was part of Devendra Fadnavis' cabinet (2014) and Uddhav Thackeray's cabinet (2019) and held urban development portfolio. In 2024, Shinde's Shiv Sena has to emerge as the single largest party within Mahayuti for him to claim the CM's post.

Ajit Pawar: Deputy CM Ajit Pawar has been a "CM in waiting," since 2004. He has been deputy CM for four times now. His elevation to the CM's post is only possible if his party wind highest number of seats within the Mahayuti alliance.

Pankaja Munde: Daughter of deceased BJP stalwart and OBC leader Gopinath Munde, Pankaja debuted in electoral politics in 2009 by winning the Parli assembly seat of Beed. However, in 2019, she was defeated by her cousin Dhananjay Munde, who contested on the NCP ticket. After her defeat, she was removed from the state politics and was inducted into the central unit of the BJP as a national secretary.

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar had sought votes for his grandnephew in Baramati, saying it needs a young generation MLA, while Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar urged people not to fall prey to emotional appeals. Sharad Pawar's grandnephew Yugendra (32), a young entrant in electoral politics, is taking on Ajit Pawar (65), a veteran of many a poll battle in the Baramati assembly seat, in what is arguably the most watched fight in the 2024 state polls.

Rohingya infiltration was one of the major issues raised by BJP. The saffron party, during campaigning, accused the JMM as well as Congress of allowing illegal immigration to secure votes. Corruption allegations against Soren government and Hemant's arrest made big headlines ahead of the polls.

A majority of exit polls on Wednesday predicted a victory for the BJP-led Mahayuti in Maharashtra while at least two pollsters have forecast a hung assembly in the high-stakes political clash. A poll of nine exit polls predicted 150 seats for Mahayuti in the 288-member assembly, just 5 seats over the majority mark of 145. Dainik Bhaskar and Lokshahi Marathi-Rudra have predicted a hung assembly in the state.

The BJP-led NDA is expected to win the Jharkhand assembly elections, most exit polls say. According to the Matrize exit poll, the NDA is likely to get between 42-47 seats while the JMM-Congress-RJD coalition is expected to win around 25-30. The People’s Pulse exit poll too gave the edge to the NDA, predicting 44-53 seats for the NDA with the JMM coalition behind at 25- 37. However, AXIS-My India has predicted that JMM-Congress is likely to sweep the state with 53 out of 81 seats.

Jharkhand witnessed a fierce electoral battle between the ruling JMM-led INDIA bloc and the BJP-led NDA. While the former is seeking to retain power, the latter is looking to wrest it from the ruling alliance. Jharkhand's voter turnout reached a record 67.74 per cent, the highest since the formation of the state on November 15, 2000. This election, turnout saw an uptick of 1.65 per cent from the 2019 poll figures.

Election Commission officials announced on November 21 that the final turnout in the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections stood at 66.05% -- per EVM votes -- up from 61.1 percent in 2019. This is the highest voter turnout Maharashtra has witnessed in 25 years. Kolhapur led with 76.63% voter turnout, followed by Gadchiroli at 75.26%. The lowest turnout was recorded in Mumbai's island city at 52.07% and 55.95% in the metropolis' suburban district.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has exuded confidence about forming the next government in Jharkhand with CM Hemant Soren claiming that the public have showered blessing on the ruling party-led alliance. Meanwhile, state BJP chief Babulal Marandi has claimed that the NDA would win over 51 of the 81 seats in the state.

Maharashtra witnessed a keen clash between the ruling Mahayuti of BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP and the rival Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) of Congress, Sharad Pawar's NCP-SP and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena-UBT. Several other parties and Independents are also in the fray and are hoping to upset the apple cart in one of the most closely watched elections of this year.

Jharkhand witnessed a fierce electoral battle between the ruling JMM-led INDIA bloc and the BJP-led NDA. While the former is seeking to retain power, the latter is looking to wrest it from the ruling alliance. Jharkhand's voter turnout reached a record 67.74 per cent, the highest since the formation of the state on November 15, 2000. This election, turnout saw an uptick of 1.65 per cent from the 2019 poll figures.