The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) claimed a landslide victory in Maharashtra, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) securing 130 seats, solidifying its position as the state's largest party.
In stark contrast, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led coalition defied exit polls to retain power in Jharkhand.
In Maharashtra, the ruling Mahayuti alliance—comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena faction, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP—swept to a resounding win, crossing the halfway mark comfortably.
By 8 pm, the alliance had won 227 seats and was leading in seven others, well past the 145-seat majority threshold in the 288-member Assembly. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) won 46 seats and was leading in two others.
Among the winners, BJP candidates led in 123 seats, with Shiv Sena securing 55 and the NCP taking 38. The MVA, which includes the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar faction), Congress, and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction), had 13, 19, and 19 seats, respectively.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his deputies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, all held significant leads in their respective constituencies, reinforcing the strength of the ruling coalition.
The counting began at 8 am on Saturday, following elections held on November 20, with a final voter turnout of 66.05%, an increase from 61.1% in 2019.
In Jharkhand, the ruling JMM-Congress coalition, led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, secured a stunning victory, surpassing the majority mark of 41 in the 81-member Assembly.
The alliance claimed 49 seats, with one seat still undecided by press time. The opposition NDA, led by the BJP, won only 22 seats, a significant drop from its 2019 performance.
The JMM, which improved its performance by four seats, claimed 34 seats, while its ally Congress secured 16. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and CPI(ML), also part of the coalition, made impressive gains, securing four and two seats, respectively, up from one each in 2019.
The BJP, in contrast, won only 21 seats, four fewer than in 2019.
The defeat marked a considerable blow to the BJP and its allies. The AJSU Party, a key NDA partner, managed only one seat out of 10 contested, with its president Sudesh Mahto losing his stronghold in Silli.
Other NDA partners, JD(U) and LJP, also won a single seat each, bringing the NDA’s total to just 24.
In the wake of its victory, the INDIA alliance—comprising JMM, Congress, RJD, and CPI(ML)—celebrated significant wins, including that of Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s wife, Kalpana Murmu Soren, in Gandey, and his brother Basant Soren in Dumka.
However, Hemant Soren’s sister-in-law Sita Murmu Soren, contesting on a BJP ticket, was defeated in Jamtara.
Among BJP leaders, state president Babulal Marandi retained his seat, while former Chief Minister Champai Soren triumphed in Saraikela.
However, prominent BJP figures, including Meera Munda, the wife of former Chief Minister Arjun Munda, and Geeta Koda, the wife of former CM Madhu Koda, suffered defeats.
Raghubar Das’s daughter-in-law, Poornima Sahu Das, emerged victorious in Jamshedpur East, marking one of the few successes for the BJP in the state.
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