Polls give big win for BJP in 2 Indian states
COUNTING OF VOTES IN BOTH STATES WILL TAKE PLACE ON OCTOBER 24
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appeared set to retain power with a bigger mandate in Maharashtra, where it is in alliance with the Shiv Sena, and Haryana, as exit polls forecast a facile victory for the party in the two states and rout for its rivals led by the Congress.
Exit polls, broadcast soon after the polling ended, varied widely in their projection of seats for the rival alliances but an emphatic victory with more than two-third seats for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in Maharashtra and Haryana was their common theme.
The India Today-Axis exit poll projected 166-194 seats for the BJP-Shiv Sena in the 288-member Maharashtra assembly and 72-90 for the Congress-NCP alliance.
In Haryana, the extent of a BJP win was projected to be even more dominant. The Times Now survey gave the BJP and the Congress 71 and 11 seats respectively.
India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appeared set to retain power with a bigger mandate in Maharashtra, where it is in alliance with the Shiv Sena, and Haryana, as exit polls forecast a facile victory for the party in the two states and a rout for its rivals led by the Congress.
Exit polls broadcast soon after the polling ended varied widely, in their projections of seats for the rival alliances, but an emphatic victory with more than two-third seats for the BJP-led NDA in Maharashtra and Haryana was their common theme.
Earlier, 54.53 per cent of voters exercised their right to vote in Maharashtra until 5pm yesterday, according to the Election Commission (EC).
In Mumbai City district, voter turnout stood at 44 per cent from 7am to 5pm.
Out of 288 Assembly constituencies in the state, Radhanagari witnessed the highest voter turnout of 70.89 per cent while Ulhasnagar witnessed the lowest at 26.27 per cent as at 5pm. Polling for 90 seats of Haryana and 288 constituencies of Maharashtra began at 7am
102-year-old votes
Counting of votes in both the Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place on October 24. A 102-year-old man came with his family of 40 members to vote in Pune’s Lohgaon for the Maharashtra assembly elections.
Haji Ebrahim Saleem Joad was earlier hospitalised but took an early discharge for the day to exercise his franchise
Haryana recorded a turnout of over 56 per cent by 5pm with an hour still left for polling to close for the 90 assembly elections in the state where the BJP hopes to retain power.
A moderate turnout of nearly 57 per cent was reported yesterday in the bypolls to 51 assembly seats and two Lok Sabha constituencies spread across 18 states, while voters braved heavy rains in Kerala where streets were inundated and water entered some polling booths.
Uttar Pradesh saw a low voter turnout of 47.05 per cent in 11 assembly seats. Gangoh in Saharanpur district saw a high of about 60.30 per cent voting while Lucknow Cantonment assembly seat witnessed the lowest at 28.53 per cent in the state.
The bypolls to the five assembly constituencies in Kerala were marred by heavy rains, especially in Ernakulam, as voters waded through waterlogged roads to exercise their franchise.