Assembly Poll results: BJP wins in Maharashtra, scouts for ally in Haryana
Mangalore Today News Network
New Delhi, Oct 24, 2019: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP retains Maharashtra but fought a tough battle in Haryana, as votes were counted on Thursday for state elections held four days ago.
Modi’s BJP and a regional ally sewed up a comfortable win in Maharashtra, cornering 160 of the state assembly’s 288 seats, according to the Election Commission of India. That’s more than the simple majority required to rule one of India’s richest states. The party was hoping to cross the majority mark on its own steam, but is leading in around 100 seats - way below its 2014 tally of 122. The Sena is heading for a tally of around 60. The majority mark lies at 145.
In Haryana, the BJP had either won or was ahead in 38 seats, with the main opposition Congress party close behind at 31 seats. The state has a 90-member assembly, meaning either party will need an ally to form a government.
BJP chief and Union Minister Amit Shah, who had summoned Chief Minister Khattar earlier today, thanked Haryana for "making the BJP the single-largest party in the state". "I thank the people of Haryana for blessing us. We will continue to work with the same zeal and dedication for the state’s progress. I laud the efforts of hardworking @BJP4Haryana Karyakartas who toiled extensively and went among the people to elaborate on our development agenda," PM Modi tweeted..
The Congress, galvanised by the unexpected trends, has reached out to Dushyant Chautala, the chief of the newly formed Jannayak Janata Party (JJP). "The way these trends are showing, it is clear people voted for change," Mr Chautala told NDTV, adding, "The keys to the next government will be in the hands of the JJP."
An aggregate of 11 exit polls indicated the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance might win 211 seats in Maharashtra. The Congress and Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party might manage to win 64 seats, a shade higher than 56 seats they scraped together last time.
A BJP win will be seen as an endorsement of the Narendra Modi government’s policies after its re-election earlier this year - including the move to scrap special status to Jammu and Kashmir and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) - which were the central themes of its campaign.
Votes are also being counted for by-polls held in 51 assembly seats and two Lok Sabha constituencies spread across 17 states and one union territory. The BJP and its allies have nearly 30 of these assembly seats, the Congress has 12. The rest are with regional parties.