Voters in Jharkhand and Maharashtra have decided the fate of 5,347 candidates in the fray across both states in the second round of assembly polls after the 2024 general election.
In Maharashtra, Mahayuti comprising the Eknath Shinde-Shiv Sena, BJP and Ajit Pawar-led NCP is in the fight to retain power. On the other side is the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and its constituents, the Shiv Sena (UBT) of Uddhav Thackeray, NCP (SP) of Sharad Pawar and the Congress. Maharashtra has 288 assembly seats, making 145 the majority mark.
In Jharkhand, constituents of the ruling INDIA bloc—JMM, Congress, RJD—are facing the BJP and its ally AJSU. Jharkhand has 81 assembly seats, making 42 the majority mark.
Counting for votes is also underway for bypolls in 48 assembly and 2 Lok Sabha seats across 15 states.
Who will emerge victorious in Maharashtra—Mahayuti or MVA? Will voters in Jharkhand favour NDA or INDIA bloc? Stay tuned to ThePrint to know.
Maharashtra & Jharkhand election result | LIVE
1.40 pm: Jharkhand BJP chief Babulal Marandi is leading in Dhanwar by 12,127 against JMM’s Nizam Uddin Ansari.
Earlier in the day, Marandi had expressed confidence in BJP’s chances of victory, citing corruption in the incumbent administration as the key reason.
Speaking to the media, he said: “One major factor was corruption, which plagued people from top to bottom. Law and order had deteriorated, development work wasn’t happening, and on top of that, the issue of Bangladeshi infiltrators. The Hemant (Soren) government was settling them here, making their ration cards, Aadhaar cards, linking them to voter lists, and even getting land registered in their names. Naturally, people were angry about all this, and that is one of the main reasons”, the former Jharkhand CM told ANI.
1.30 pm: BJP registered its second win in Maharashtra in Ghatkopar East, where its candidate Parag Shah beat NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar)’s Jadhav Rakhee Harishchandra by 34,999 votes.
The Shinde Sena has won from Bhiwandi Rural against Sena (UBT) candidate Ghatal Mahadev Ambo. The margin of victory was 57,962 votes.
The Ajit Pawar-led NCP won Niphad and Shrivardhan seats.
1.15 pm: In Maharashtra, the first win goes to BJP’s Kalidas Nilkanth Kolambkar who won against Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Shraddha Shridhar Jadhav by 24,973 votes.
12.45 pm: In Maharashtra, the Mahayuti has raced ahead and is leading in 215 seats.
Speaking to the media, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said, “Let the end results be declared, and then we will decide (who will be CM).”
Speaking about Aaditya Thackeray’s fate in Worli, he said, “His 2.5 years were spent making allegations. Now, he should consider what people prefer—allegations or work. It is work that gives you credibility, and the work we did in the past 2.5 years has been seen by people. Our party has always aimed to provide what people need. We want development and happiness in our society. That’s why we focused on development on one hand and progress on the other, and because of this, you will see a significant victory today.”
The CM also thanked the voters of Maharashtra. “This is a landslide victory. I want to thank all my sisters, farmers, brothers, and senior citizens for giving us such a great victory…. I also want to extend my gratitude to all the workers of Mahayuti for their tremendous efforts and contribution to this victory.”
12.35 pm: In Maharashtra’s Worli, two prominent political dynasties—the Deoras and the Thackerays—are locked in a closely fought contest. Earlier in the day, Aaditya Thackeray briefly trailed behind Deora but has since regained the lead. He is now ahead by over 2,000 votes, with the margin steadily widening. Read ThePrint’s story on this closely watched seat
12.15 pm: In Jharkhand, INDIA alliance is ahead in 46 seats, while the NDA is leading in 33.
12.10 pm: Aaditya Thackeray’s cousin and Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Varun Sardesai is leading in Vandre East by 4,630 votes. Zeeshan Siddique is trailing in second place. Zeeshan’s father Baba Siddique was killed last month in Mumbai.
Another candidate in the fray is Shiv Sena rebel Trupti Sawant—widow of Prakash (Bala) Sawant, the Shiv Sena MLA from the seat who died in 2015—contesting on an MNS ticket. She’s currently trailing in third place by 11,938 votes. Read ThePrint’s analysis of the three-way contest.
Overall, Mahayuti is ahead in 216 seats in the state, with the BJP accounting for 128 seats.
11.55 am: For bypolls in Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal
Punjab:
Dera Baba Nanak: Congress’s Jatinder Kaur Randhawa leading
Chabbewal: AAP’s Dr Ishank Kumar leading
Gidderbaha: AAP’s Hardeep Singh Dimy Dhillon leading
Barnala: INC’s Kuldeep Singh Dhillon Kala Dhillon leading
Rajasthan:
Jhunjhunu: BJP’s Rajendra Bhamboo leading
Ramgarh: INC’s Aryaan Zubair leading
Dausa: INC’s Deen Danyal leading
Deoli–Uniara: BJP’s Rajendra Gurjar leading
Khinwsar: Rashtriya Loktantrik Party’s Kanika Beniwal leading
Salumber: Bharat Adivasi Party’s Jitesh Kumar Katara leading
Chorasi: Bharat Adivasi Party’s Anil Kumar Katara leading
Uttar Pradesh:
Meerapur: Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Mithlesh Pal leading
Kundarki: BJP’s Ramveer Singh leading
Ghaziabad: BJP’s Sanjeev Sharma leading
Khair: BJP’s Surender Diler leading
Karhal: Samajwadi Party’s Tej Pratap Singh leading
Sishamau: Samajwadi Party’s Naseem Solanki leading
Phulpur: BJP’s Deepak Patel leading
Katehari: Samajwadi Party’s Shobhawati Verma leading
Majhawan: BJP’s Shuchismita Maurya leading
West Bengal:
Sitai: All India Trinamool Congress’s Sangita Roy leading
Madarihat: AITC’s Jayprakash Toppo leading
Naihati: AITC’s Sanat Dey leading
Haroa: AITC’s SK Rabiul Islam leading
Medinipur: AITC’s Sujoy Hazra leading
Taldangra: AITC’s Falguni Singhababu leading
11.50 am: In Sikkim, Aditya Golay (Tamang) and Satish Chandra Rai, both from Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) won the bypolls from Soreng-Chakhung and Namchi-Singhithang, respectively, after the seats remained uncontested.
In Meghalaya’s lone seat, Gambegre, seeing bypolls, NPP’s Mehtab Chandee Agitok Sangma is leading.
In Uttarakhand, BJP’s Asha Nautiyal is leading from Kedarnath
11.45 am Results for bypolls in Karnataka, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh
Karnataka:
Shiggaon: Congress’s Pathan Yasirahmedkhan leading
Sandur: Congress’s E. Annapoorna leading
Channapatna: Congress’s C.P. Yogeeshwara leading
Kerala:
Palakkad: Congress’s Rahul Mamkootathil is leading
Chelakkara: CPI (Marxist)’s U R Pradeep is leading
Madhya Pradesh:
Vijaypur: BJP’s Ramniwas Rawat leading
Budhni: BJP’s Ramakant Bhargava leading
11.40 am: Counting is ongoing in the one seat each in Chhattisgarh and Gujarat that is seeing bypolls. In Chhattisgarh’s Raipur City South, BJP’s Sunil Kumar Soni is leading. In Gujarat’s Vav, Congress’s Gulabsingh Pirabhai Rajput is leading.
11.35 am: Counting of votes for by-elections to 48 assembly constituencies and 2 Lok Sabha seats across 15 states is underway.
Results for Assam and Bihar
Assam:
Dholai: BJP’s Nihar Ranjan Das leading
Sidli: United People’s Party, Liberal’s Nirmal Kumar Brahma leading
Bongaigaon: Asom Gana Parishad’s Diptimayee Choudhury leading
Behali: BJP’s Diganta Ghatowal leading
Samaguri: INC’s Tanzil Hussain is leading
Bihar:
Tarari: BJP’s Vishal Prashant leading
Ramgarh: BJP’s Ashok Kumar Singh leading
Imamganj: Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular)’s Deepa Kumari leading
Belaganj: JDU’s Manorama Devi leading
11.20 am: The Gandhis continue to strike gold in southern India. Trends show Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra leading in Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, where a bypoll was necessitated by the resignation of brother Rahul Gandhi. This is Priyanka’s electoral debut.
In Karnataka’s Channapatna, C.P. Yogeeshwara of the Congress is ahead of Nikhil Kumaraswamy of the JD(S); in Shiggaon, former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai’s son Bharat is trailing Pathan Yasirahmedkhan of the Congress; and in Sandur, the Congress party’s E. Annapoorna is ahead of Bangara Hanumantha of the BJP.
11.00 am: Kalpana Soren, JMM candidate for Gandey assembly, is trailing by a margin of 4,593 votes, after round 3/21 of counting, according to latest EC data.
10.40 am: With Mahayuti well past the halfway mark in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut says, “This cannot be the decision of the people of Maharashtra. We know what the people of Maharashtra want.”
#WATCH | Mumbai | As Mahayuti has crossed halfway mark in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut says, “This cannot be the decision of the people of Maharashtra. We know what the people of Maharashtra want…” pic.twitter.com/X2UgBdMOCH
— ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2024
10.25 am: In Jharkhand, INDIA bloc crosses halfway mark. The alliance is leading in 52 of the state’s 81 seats.
10.15 am: Mahayuti crosses halfway mark in Maharashtra. Shinde-led Shiv Sena is leading in 36 seats, the NCP in 30, and the BJP is leading in 95 seats — CNN News 18
With the alliance in lead in one state, BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla has predicted a win for the party-led NDA in Jharkhand as well. “In both the places, NDA is going to form its government under the leadership of PM Modi. Exit polls have already come and in a short while, exact polls are also going to come and NDA is going to win. The way questions are being raised on EVM even before the results are announced, it is clear that they (INDIA alliance) have already started worrying about their defeat,” he said to ANI.
10.00 am: Counting is also underway in Kerala’s Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency for the by-election. Here, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is leading with 5,672 votes. Wayanad, a Congress bastion, is witnessing a triangular contest between Priyanka, BJP’s Navya Haridas, and the Left candidate Sathyan Mokeri.
9.40 am: In Jharkhand, the opposition INDIA alliance has taken the lead in 28 seats, with the NDA ahead in 23 seats — CNN News 18
9.20 am: In Jharkhand, the BJP-led NDA is in the lead in 15 seats, while the opposition INDIA bloc is ahead in 8 — CNN News 18
9.00 am: Initial trends by Election Commission of India (ECI) have the BJP in the lead in 1 seat in Maharashtra, Wadala; NCP in the lead in Sinnar; and the Shinde-led Sena ahead in 2 seats, Jalgaon Rural and Buldhana.
Watch ThePrint’s analysis and updates LIVE
8.45 am: In Jharkhand, while the BJP brought in its top leaders, including PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, to campaign, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) was left to shoulder much of the campaign responsibility as its INDIA bloc ally, the Congress, seemingly adopted a half-hearted approach. Read ThePrint’s story.
8.30 am: Mahayuti is in the lead in Maharashtra, show early trends. The ruling Mahayuti is leading in 17 seats, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi is ahead in 11 — CNN-News18
8.15 am: On BJP’s CM face in Jharkhand, candidate from Saraikela assembly constituency and former CM Champai Soren says, “BJP is the largest party in the country. It will be decided by the party and then there will be a discussion between the MLAs….”
#WATCH | #JharkhandElection2024 | Seraikela Kharsawan: On CM face in Jharkhand, BJP candidate from Saraikela assembly constituency & former CM, Champai Soren says, “BJP is the largest party in the country. It will be decided by the party and then there will be a discussion… pic.twitter.com/NaS6rOk9V4
— ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2024
8 am: Counting of postal ballots begins.
7.45 am: For Maharashtra, most pollsters have predicted a comfortable victory for the ruling alliance Mahayuti over the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Exit polls predicted over 45% vote share for the Mahayuti and 41% for the MVA. The BJP, according to them, will emerge as the single-largest party.
On Jharkhand, pollsters were split, with one giving a clear majority to the INDIA bloc, two others giving a majority to the NDA and another two predicting a hung house.
7.30 am: Besides voter turnout, assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand also saw seizures of higher value than recorded in 2019. As of 18 November, EC had seized cash, liquor, drugs and precious metals collectively worth an estimated Rs 858 crore—worth seven times that of seizures recorded in the 2019 assembly elections.
7.15 am: Election Commission data shows that voter turnout in both Maharashtra and Jharkhand was higher than in the 2019 assembly elections, at 65.02 percent and 67.55 percent, respectively. Voting in Jharkhand was held in two phases (13 November and 20 November), while Maharashtra went to the polls in a single phase on 20 November.
Also Read: 6 regions, 36 districts & 288 seats: How to read Maharashtra’s electoral map
