Both the ruling and opposition parties in Maharashtra are brimming with confidence. Exit poll results have been declared after the Lok Sabha elections ended today. Exit polls, conducted after the last phase of voting in Maharashtra ended at 6 pm, indicate trends of possible winners before the official results are declared. Lok Sabha elections were held in Maharashtra for 48 seats in five phases between April 19 and May 20. Out of a total of 9.29 crore voters in Maharashtra, 5.70 crore cast their votes, which is a marginal increase compared to the 2019 elections, when 60.79 percent of voters had cast their votes.
According to Axis My India, BJP may get 20-22 seats, Shiv Sena Shinde faction may get 8-10 seats, NCP Ajit Pawar may get 1-2 seats, NCP Sharad Pawar may get 3-5 seats, Shiv Sena Uddhav may get 9-11 seats and Congress may get 3-4 seats.
ABP-CVoter forecasts that the ruling coalition of Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and NCP is expected to get 22-26 seats while the opposition coalition of Indian National Congress (INC), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) is expected to get 23-25 seats.
According to CNX India TV In Maharashtra exit poll, BJP may get 18-22 seats, Shinde’s Shiv Sena 5-7, Ajit Pawar’s NCP 1-3, Uddhav’s Shiv Sena: 9-13, Sharad Pawar’s NCP: 4-5, Congress: 4-6 seats.
Results and exit polls of the year 2019
The 2019 Lok Sabha exit polls for Maharashtra predicted a strong performance of the BJP-led NDA alliance, which was projected to win around 36-38 seats in the exit polls. However, the alliance far outperformed expectations with an actual tally of 41 seats. On the other hand, the Congress-NCP alliance was predicted to win 11 seats, however, they won almost half of the projected seats in the state. The 2019 Lok Sabha election to elect candidates for the 48 seats in Maharashtra was held in 4 phases, scheduled on April 11, April 18, April 23, and April 29, 2019.
Maharashtra tops in terms of polling stations
The Election Commission of India (ECI) for the first time set up polling booths in high-rise apartment complexes and housing societies to boost urban voter turnout for the Lok Sabha elections, with Maharashtra topping the list with 150. Maharashtra chief electoral officer S Chokalingam told The Indian Express that 150 election booths had been identified in Pune, Mumbai, Thane and Nagpur. Responding to election commissioner Sukhbir Singh Sandhu’s appeal to make voting a pleasant experience, Chokalingam said the aim was to enable voters to vote happily without waiting in long queues.
Pawar vs Pawar in Baramati
The result of the Baramati constituency will also confirm Ajit Pawar’s leadership within his own outfit Mahayuti. If Sunetra Pawar wins Baramati, it will help Ajit Pawar re-establish his leadership as the real NCP. If he fails, it will signal the rise of his uncle Sharad Pawar, whose daughter and MP Supriya Sule is pitted against Sunetra.
Why are the 2024 Lok Sabha elections important for top Maharashtra leaders?
The heat and dust generated during the five-phase election between April 19 and May 20 for the state’s 48 Lok Sabha seats may have subsided. The fate of the parties is sealed in the box. Still, there are anxious moments ahead of the counting of votes on June 4 in a closely contested election. In Maharashtra, where the fight was between the Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, the stakes are high for the five big leaders – Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar. With 21 seats, Thackeray was projected by the MVA as its main leader in Maharashtra. The extent to which Thackeray capitalises on the sympathy generated in his favour after the split to retain his ground will be known on June 4.
