Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis may have had the last laugh as the number of seats he predicted for the saffron alliance in the state has come accurate.

But the bigger reason for him and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to smile is the fact that the Marathas and other backward classes (OBCs) voted for the BJP in large numbers. Not just the Marathas and OBCs, but voters from scheduled tribes and nomadic tribes also voted for the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance.

According to the India Today-Axis My India exit poll released recently, the BJP got 51 per cent votes in the state and Congress polled 35 per cent.

Prakash Ambedkar's Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) that made its debut with an alliance with Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) polled over 8 per cent votes in the state.

The unresolved Maratha reservation issue failed to deter the community from voting for the BJP. (File Photo)

Backing the saffron parties

The unresolved Maratha reservation issue failed to deter the community from voting for the BJP. According to the exit poll 59 per cent Marathas voted for the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, while 31 per cent voted for the Congress-National Congress Party (NCP) alliance.

There was a perception that the decision to allot 16 per cent reservation to Marathas will create a feeling of insecurity and anger amongst the OBCs. But the OBCs too voted for the NDA in great numbers.

According to the India Today-Axis My India exit poll, 66 per cent of the OBCs chose the BJP-Shiv Sena candidates, 28 per cent OBCs went with Congress-NCP.

OBCs, however, did not vote for the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi as was expected. Only 3 per cent of the OBCs voted for the VBA in Maharashtra.

VBA, however, got the maximum share of the scheduled caste votes in the state. Thirty-five per cent of total Dalit population in the state voted for the VBA, Congress-NCP followed by getting 30 per cent of Dalit votes, while BJP got 29 per cent Dalit votes.

The scheduled tribes (ST) also voted for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in large numbers in the state as 54 per cent of the ST population voted for the BJP followed by 36 per cent for the Congress-NCP.

According to the India Today-Axis My India exit poll, interestingly Muslims voted for the Congress en masse. Seventy-seven per cent of the total Muslim votes went to the Congress-NCP alliance, while 14 per cent went to the BJP. The VBA that was in alliance with Owaisi's AIMIM failed to impress the Muslims as the front got only 3 per cent of Muslim vote share.

Congress fails to take off

Congress's Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) scheme that promised Rs 72,000 to the poor did not seem to have clicked with the poor and low-income strata. Fifty per cent of those below poverty line voted for the BJP, while 34 per cent below poverty line voted for the Congress. Nine per cent below the poverty line chose VBA.

The issue of unemployment also seems to have failed to gain votes for the Congress as 45 per cent of unemployed voters chose BJP as compared to 37 per cent that went to Congress, according to the exit poll.

BJP also scored over the Congress-NCP alliance in rural areas. While the BJP got 50 per cent votes in rural areas, Congress got 36 per cent. In urban Maharashtra, the BJP got 50 per cent votes while the Congress got 35 per cent votes.

BJP's success with voters also crossed the barriers of education. While 50 per cent of those with no education voted for BJP on one hand, 51 per cent each of graduate and post-graduate voted for the BJP, according to the India Today-Axis My India exit poll.

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