BJP-led Mahayuti crosses halfway mark in early trends in Maharashtra
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Mumbai: As counting for the Maharashtra Assembly elections began on Saturday, the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition pulled ahead of the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance.
The Mahayuti, which includes the BJP, Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar's NCP, wants to retain power, whilst the MVA, which includes the Congress, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT), and Sharad Pawar's NCP, wants to comeback to power, the New Indian Express reported.
Exit polls revealed a strong advantage for the Mahayuti alliance over the MVA coalition.
The majority mark in Maharashtra's 288-member Assembly is 145. Polling officials reported that the counting, which began at 8 a.m., will include at least 20 rounds in each assembly constituency.
Separately, votes will be counted for the Jharkhand Assembly elections and by-elections in 48 seats spread over 14 states. Counting will also take place for byelections to Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra's Nanded and Kerala's Wayanad, where Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra made her political debut.