The Election Commission of India (ECI) will begin counting votes for the Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly elections on November 23. Meanwhile, preparations are underway at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, where jalebis are being made ahead of the results.
Watch:
Maharashtra, with 288 seats, conducted polling in a single phase on November 20, while Jharkhand, which has 81 seats, held elections in two phases on November 13 and 20. The counting process for both states is scheduled to start at 8 am.
Exit polls have offered mixed predictions for the Maharashtra assembly elections. Most polls have given an edge to the Mahayuti, with the People's Pulse exit poll projecting 175-195 seats for the alliance and 85-112 seats for the MVA. However, the Electoral Edge poll forecasted a victory for the MVA with 150 seats, leaving 121 for the BJP-led Mahayuti. Lokshahi Rudra predicted a close contest between the two blocs. In a separate projection, the Matrize exit poll estimated 42-47 seats for the NDA and 25-30 for the INDIA bloc, while Axis My India predicted a win for the INDIA bloc with a 45% vote share against 37% for the NDA. Meanwhile, Dainik Bhaskar anticipated a hung assembly in the state.