BJP-Led Mahayuti Takes Lead in Maharashtra Assembly Polls

The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is ahead in 157 out of 288 seats in the Maharashtra assembly elections, while the Maha Vikas Aghadi is leading in 125 seats as of the preliminary vote count. The Election Commission reported early trends in 150 constituencies, with postal ballots counted first followed by EVM votes.

The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance holds a significant lead in the ongoing Maharashtra assembly elections, securing the upper hand in 157 of the state's 288 seats. Meanwhile, the rival Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) trails with leads in 125 seats, according to early reports from TV channels.

In contrast, the Election Commission of India's website has shown trends for 150 seats. Within the Mahayuti, the BJP is spearheading the race with leads in 50 constituencies, followed by Shiv Sena with 27 and NCP with 22. On the MVA side, the Congress is leading in 14 seats, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) in 13, and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) in 12.

Polling officials commenced the meticulous process of verifying and counting postal ballots early Saturday morning, with electronic voting machine (EVM) votes slated for counting at 8:30 AM. Each assembly segment will undergo at least 20 rounds of counting, with final voter turnout recorded at 66.05 percent, higher than the previous figure of 61.1 percent in 2019.

(With inputs from agencies.)