New Delhi: A day after voting ended in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, the Axis My India released its exit poll outcome on Thursday evening, predicting a significant victory for the “MahaYuti” alliance comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), and Ajit Pawar’s NCP.
The poll suggests that Mahayuti could win a substantial majority, while the “Maha Vikas Aghadi” (MVA) alliance is expected to face a setback.
The Exit Polls predicted that the Mahayuti could get between 178-200 seats out of the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly. In contrast, the MVA, consisting of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Sharad Pawar’s NCP, is projected to win between 82 and 102 seats. The “Others” category is estimated to win between 6 and 12 seats.
In terms of vote share, the Axis My India exit poll predicts that Mahayuti will receive 48 per cent of the vote, while MVA is expected to secure 37 per cent.
Breaking down the individual performance of the parties, the BJP is projected to win between 98-107 seats, while Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) could secure 53-58 seats, and NCP (Ajit Pawar) is expected to win between 25-30 seats.
For the MVA, Congress is predicted to win 28-36 seats, Shiv Sena (UBT) could secure 26-32 seats, and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) is expected to win between 26-30 seats.
When asked about the preferred choice for the Chief Minister’s position, 31 per cent of respondents favoured Eknath Shinde, while 18 per cent chose Uddhav Thackeray, and 12 per cent preferred Devendra Fadnavis.
The election battle in Maharashtra is primarily between the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the opposition MVA. The Mahayuti fielded candidates in 149 seats from BJP, 81 from Shiv Sena (Shinde), and 59 from NCP (Ajit Pawar).
Meanwhile, the MVA fielded candidates in 101 seats from Congress, 95 from Shiv Sena (UBT), and 86 from NCP (Sharad Pawar faction). The results of the election will be declared on November 23.
(IANS)
