Maharashtra Election Results: As Counting Begins, Here's What The Exit Polls Predicted

The counting of votes for the Maharashtra Assembly elections began at 8 am today, with exit polls largely favoring the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance in the 288-seat contest. The majority mark is set at 145 seats.

Polling for the single-phase election was held on Wednesday, and an average of 11 exit polls projects the Mahayuti securing 155 seats, giving it a comfortable lead over the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which is expected to garner 120 seats. Smaller parties and independent candidates are likely to claim 13 seats.

Several exit polls, including Axis-My India, Peoples Pulse, Poll Diary, and Today’s Chanakya, predict a dominant performance for the BJP-led coalition, with each forecasting a minimum of 175 seats. Chanakya Strategies, Matrize, and Times Now-JVC also anticipate a clear victory for the Mahayuti, projecting at least 150 seats for the alliance.

In contrast, only Electoral Edge predicts a narrow win for the Congress-led MVA, projecting a five-seat lead over the BJP, while smaller parties and independents could influence the final tally.

Dainik Bhaskar, Lokshahi Marathi-Rudra, and P-Marq polls remain divided, with P-Marq leaning slightly towards the Mahayuti with a high-end projection of 157 seats, while Dainik Bhaskar offers a potential edge to the MVA with 150 seats.

All eyes are now on the results to see whether the exit polls accurately reflect the ground reality in Maharashtra.