Maharashtra witnessed a voter turnout of 65.02% in its highly competitive elections, with 9.70 crore eligible voters casting their ballots. This marks an increase from the 61.6% turnout recorded in the 2019 Assembly elections.
Mumbai City had a lower turnout at 52.07%, while Mumbai Suburban saw a slightly better 55.77%. Pune reported a 60.70% turnout, and Thane had 56.05%. On the other hand, Kolhapur led with a significant 76.25% turnout, followed by Gadchiroli at 73.68%, a district affected by Left-Wing Extremism, and Jalna at 72.30%. Nanded, where a Lok Sabha bypoll was also held, recorded a voter turnout of 62.89%.
Polling concluded on Wednesday at 6 PM, with all eyes now on the exit polls. The Mahayuti alliance, consisting of the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and the Ajit Pawar faction of NCP, is projected to retain power in the state, according to predictions from three exit polls. These polls suggest that the alliance is expected to secure around 158 seats, comfortably surpassing the majority mark.