Exit polls: Close contest between Mahayuti, MVA in Maharashtra, neck-to-neck fight in Jharkhand

The Western Indian state of Maharashtra went to polls on November 20, with around 58 per cent of voters casting their ballots by 5 pm. The contest in Maharashtra is between the rulingMahayuti alliance, which comprisesShiv Sena, NCP, and BJP,and the oppositionMaha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), includingShiv Sena-UBT, NCPSP and Congress, alongside some regional parties.

ZEENIA, the AI anchor of Zee network, revealed exit polls for Maharashtra state Wednesday evening, predicting a close contest between the two rival blocs.

As per Zeenia, Eknath Shinde-ledMahayuti is likely to get 129-159 seats, while the opposition MVA may bag around 124-154 seats of a total of 288 seats. The exit poll has been conducted with a massive sample size of over 1 million.

The poll also revealed that most of the voters in Maharashtra preferred BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis as the state's chief minister over the incumbentEknath Shinde.

Jharkhand assembly election exit polls

Polls drew to a close in Jharkhand too where the second phase of the elections was held today. Data from the Election Commission of India revealed over 67 per cent of voters showed up at the polling booths by 5 pm IST.

Zeenia predicteda close contest between the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the BJP-led NDA.

The Hemant Soren-led JMM is likely to hold an edge with 39-44 seats, while the BJP may bag around 36-41 seats in the 82-member assembly.

The exit poll was conducted by taking into consideration the sentiments of over 0.3 million users on social media.

Key candidates in Jharkhand state include Chief Minister Hemant Soren, his wife Kalpana Soren, and his sister-in-law Sita Soren from the JMM.

The results for the Jharkhand and Maharashtra assembly polls will be officially out on November 23.