In the first set of state elections after the Lok Sabha polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won a simple, but not an overwhelming majority in Maharashtra, paving the way for the likely return of Devendra Fadnavis to power, provided that Shiv Sena supports him.

But defying most expectations, the BJP failed to cross the halfway mark in Haryana, with the state throwing up a hung assembly. This left some uncertainty about who will form the next government and raised questions about the future of incumbent chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, although analysts said it was likely that the party would eventually form the government with the assistance of independents, the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), and other smaller parties.

These elections have further reinforced the BJP’s status as the country’s political hegemon. But the opposition surprisingly performed well — particularly the Congress and the JJP in Haryana, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra. This has meant a dip in the BJP’s seats compared to its previous tally in both states in 2014, though, to be sure, the party contested far fewer seats this time in Maharashtra since it was in an alliance.

Follow highlights of assembly elections counting here:

8:36 PM IST ‘Thank you, Worli’ tweets Aaditya Thackeray of the Shiv Sena Aaditya who is the first of the Thackeray family to directly contest elections thanked people of Worli, party workers and said that he is grateful to every one who voted for him. He also vowed to win the hearts of the people who did not vote for him through his developmental work in a series of tweets. Thank you Worli for accepting me as your elected representative. The love and blessings showered by voters is a huge sense of responsibility and joy. I will do my best to serve all tirelessly. pic.twitter.com/Q94HeOP6ci — Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) October 24, 2019





7:58 PM IST ‘It is not easy to repeat a strong performance, we’ve done that in Haryana’: PM PM Modi says political pundits are looking at the results coming out of Haryana, he says that win is an exceptional one as the people have decided to rest their faith on a government led by Khattar, which has performed.





7:53 PM IST PM says despite inexperience Khattar and Fadnavis gave a stellar performance as CM PM also maintained that these two will continue to lead these states. He reflected upon the fact that these two leaders had never held any office before becoming CMs of these two states.





7:50 PM IST PM says governments in other states resort to change the names of central government schemes PM says that other parties are afraid that BJP will get the credit for developmental work.





7:43 PM IST ‘After 50 years, a CM in Maharashtra has served full-time tenure’: PM PM says people decided that BJP and Shiv Sena had to come together because people wished for the same. He further added that the fresh leadership in that state ran a smooth government and today’s mandate only proves that.





7:36 PM IST PM Narendra Modi addresses party workers PM says people of Maharashtra and Haryana have shown immense faith in the BJP.





7:32 PM IST ‘Regularisation of Delhi’s unauthorized colonies is Diwali’s gift from PM to Delhi’s residents Amit Shah also congratulated the both the Chief Ministers of Haryana and Maharashtra and reiterates BJP’s commitment towards development.





7:28 PM IST ‘Maharashtra, Haryana are not traditionally BJP states’: Amit Shah Home minister Shah said that Maharashtra and Haryana brought BJP to power soon after Narendra Modi came to power in 2014. He said to party workers that people have reiterated that they have faith on the BJP.





7:22 PM IST PM Narendra Modi reaches BJP headquarters PM Narendra Modi along with Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Minister Rajnath Singh have reached the BJP HQ. The leaders are cheered by party workers.





6:12 PM IST ‘Quiet patriotism will defeat muscular nationalism’: Chidambaram P Chidambaram, who is currently in Tihar Jail in New Delhi told reporters that quiet patriotism will defeat muscular nationalism. He spoke to the reporters present and answered when asked about assembly and bypoll results of the recently concluded elections. #WATCH Congress leader P. Chidambaram on being asked 'What do you want to say on the election results?': Quiet patriotism will defeat muscular nationalism. pic.twitter.com/DZqXRUGGch — ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2019





5:48 PM IST Haryana CM ML Khattar to meet Governor SN Arya to stake claim to form Govt Haryana CM and BJP leader ML Khattar will meet the Haryana governor later in the evening to stake claim to form government in the state, reports news agency ANI.





5:39 pm IST Haryana Assembly Polls : As per official trends by Election Commission, BJP has won 26 seats Haryana Assembly Polls : As per the official trends by the Election Commission, BJP has won 26 seats and is leading on 14 taking a total lead on 40 seats. Congress has won 20 seats and is leading on 11, taking a total lead on 31 seats. Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) has won 10 seats. #HaryanaAssemblyPolls : As per the official trends by the Election Commission, BJP has won 26 seats and is leading on 14 taking a total lead on 40 seats. Congress has won 20 seats and is leading on 11, taking a total lead on 31 seats. Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) has won 10 seats. pic.twitter.com/OiCyoqnIYD — ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2019





5:15 pm IST 15 independent MLAs have contacted me: Fadnavis Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said that 15 independent MLAs have contacted him, who are ready to join them. “Others may also come but these 15 will come with us. Most of them are BJP or Shiv Sena rebels,” he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.





5:10 pm IST Uddhav Thackeray says 50-50 formula was decided, Fadnavis refuses to confirm While Uddhav Thackeray has said that BJP needs to respect the 50-50 formula which was already decided, Devendra Fadnavis has refused to confirm what is the formula that was zeroed in. He said, “ We are going to go ahead according to what has been decided between Shiv Sena and us (BJP). What has been decided is something which you will get to know when the time is right.” Earlier Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray buoyed by party’s election result had said, “ The 50-50 formula was decided. Discussions should be held and then it should be decided that who would be the Chief Minister (of Maharashtra)”





4:57 pm IST Maharashtra mandate is eye-opener for many: Uddhav Thackeray While addressing a press conference, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said that the mandate in Maharashtra is an eye-opener for many.





4:54 pm IST Clear mandate by voters: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis addressed the media and said that today’s counting has shown “clear mandate by voters,” and that the next government will be formed by BJP-Sena mahayuti (grand alliance).





4:40 pm IST PM Modi interacts with BJP workers from Varanasi PM Narendra Modi is currently interacting with interacting with BJP Karyakartas from Varanasi.





4:15 pm IST Shiv Sena’s Aaditya Thackeray declared winner from Worli Shiv Sena’s Aaditya Thackeray declared winner from Worli. He wins by over 65,000 votes.





4:11 pm IST NCP’s Ajit Pawar wins from Maharashtra’s Baramati NCP’s Ajit Pawar wins from Maharashtra’s Baramati. He was contesting against BJP’s Gopichand Padalkar.





4:00 pm IST I believe state wants change and JJP will bring it: Dushyant Chautala Dushyant Chautala,JJP: Counting of slips from a VVPAT is underway. As soon as I get certificate,I will discuss with everyone,hold meeting with MLAs tomorrow and decide future course of action.Too early to say anything.I believe state wants change and JJP will bring it, reports news agency ANI.





3:53 pm IST Hockey star and BJP candidate Sandeep Singh wins from Pehowa Hockey star and BJP candidate Sandeep Singh wins from Pehowa. He was contesting against INC’s Mandeep Singh Chattha, and others.





3:49 pm IST Happy that in Uttar Pradesh our vote percentage has increased: Priyanka Gandhi Congress General Secretary for UP (East) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Raebareli: I haven’t seen the latest trends, really happy at both (Haryana and Maharashtra). We also are happy about the fact that here in UP our vote percentage has increased. Congress General Secretary for UP (East) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Raebareli: I haven't seen the latest trends, really happy at both (Haryana and Maharashtra). We also are happy about the fact that here in UP our vote percentage has increased. pic.twitter.com/m85CwuxrJu — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 24, 2019





3:30 pm IST In Haryana, tables turn for INLD In Haryana, the INLD that had won 19 seats during the 2014 election is currently leading only in one seat, while the JJP formed by members who broke away from INLD is currently leading in 10 seats and might actually turn out to be the kingmaker, given the leads of Congress and BJP at the moment.





3:26 pm IST ‘Core issues are being left out’, says NCP’s Supriya Sule NCP’s Supriya Sule today addreses the media saying that mandate (in Maharashtra) clearly implies that people want somebody who will deliver superior results. “Today the country is stressing is about economy, unemployment, price rise, farmers’ issue being big challenges. Core issues are being left out,” she said, accordijng to news agency ANI.





3:15 pm IST In Haryana, close fight between Congress and BJP According to data on ECI website, the Congress is leading in 27 out of 90 assembly seats while the BJP is leading in 30 seats at present. So far, eight BJP candidates have won while seven Congress have emerged victorious.





2:40 pm IST MNS, Congress candidates allege Dahisar faulty EVMs Candidates from Maharashtra’s Dahisar assembly have alleged that there was an issue with the EVMs. Candidates from MNS, Congress along with a few independent candidates have complained to the Election Commission stating that the numbers on 3 machines did not match with that from form 17C. BJP candidate Manisha Choudhary has been declared winner from the assembly segment .





2:20 pm IST Cong alleges BJP trying to pressurise independent candidates in Haryana Congress’s DS Hooda alleged that the BJP was trying to pressurise independent candidates who want to join the Congress. Currently, Independents in Haryana are leading in six seats. “It can’t be accepted in democracy.Independent candidates should be able to freely choose the party whom they wish to support.I want to appeal to EC about it through media,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.





2:10 pm IST Neither king nor kingmaker: Dushyant Chautala as Haryana heads towards hung assembly As multiple rounds come to an end, it seems the BJP may come out as the single largest party but may not be able to win a minimum of 46 seats, which is the majority figure. In that case the JJP,which is ahead in 10 seats currently, may play a key role in formation of the next govt. However, party chief Dushyant Chautala has kept his cards close to his chest. While speaking to the media, he said that he’s neither the king nor the kingmakerand that he won’t take a decision alone.





1:55 pm IST BJP’s Pankaja Munde loses prestige battle to cousin Dhananjay Munde BJP senior leader and daughter of late Gopinath Munde, Pankaja Munde lost polls from her home turf of Parli constituency in Beed district on Thursday. She lost the prestige battle to her cousin Dhananjay Munde who contested on NCP ticket. “I accept my defeat and the decision of the mandate. The elections in my constituency were however fought maliciously. I am satisfied that I managed to win most seats in my district of Beed,” said Munde.





1:43 pm IST We thank people for the love they showed: Sharad Pawar In Maharashtra, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance is leading on 16 seats while the Congress-NCP tie up has taken lead in 99 seats, following which NCP chief Sharad addressed the media and said, “Opposition has worked hard and all members of Congress-NCP & allies have delivered and given their best. I thank them all. Power comes, power goes but it is important to remain committed to a cause and we thank people for the love they showed.” He was quoted as saying by ANI that they will soon hold a meeting with Congress and other allies to discuss things about the elections and come up with a future course of action. “We have tried to perform to the best of our abilities,” he added.





1:36 pm IST Celebrations outside BJP office in Mumbai People were seen celebratung outside the BJP office at Mumbai’s Nariman Point. Celebrations outside BJP office in Mumbai ( Vijayanand Gupta/HT Photo )





1:21 pm IST Why everyone got Haryana wrong Going by 2019 Lok Sabha results as the benchmark, all major exit polls had predicted a clear majority for BJP in Haryana. However, as it turns out the picture isn’t as clear. After counting of around 40% of the votes, the BJP and the Congress seem to be locked in a close contest whereas the JJP might turn out be the kingmaker. Here’s why did everyone get Haryana wrong





1:15 pm IST Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala resigns As the party struggled to gain majority in the 90-member assembly, Haryana chief Subhash Barala resigned.





1:05 pm IST Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala, Yogeshwar Dutt trail Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala and wrestler and BJP candidate from Baroda Yogeshwar Dutt are currently trailing.





1:00 pm IST Prominent BJP Ministers trailing in Haryana Om Prakash Dhakhar (Badli) Kanwar Pal, Speaker Vidhan Sabha, (Jagadhri) Krishan Bedi (Shahbad) Krishan Panwar (Israna) Kavita Jain (Sonepat) Capt Abhimanyu (Narnaund) Manish Grover (Rohtak) Subhash Barala, BJP president (Tohana)





12:53 pm IST BJP supporters celebrate at party HQ in Mumbai BJP supporters are celebrating at the party headquarters in Mumbai even as counting is in progress. #MaharashtraElections2019: Celebrations underway at BJP state office in Mumbai pic.twitter.com/FolobQGMN3 — ANI (@ANI) 24 October 2019





12:46 pm IST BJP’s Yogeshwar Dutt trailing in Baroda seat Wrestler and BJP candidate from Baroda, Yogeshwar Dutt trailing by 3590 votes as per official EC trends,reports ANI.





12:25 pm IST Too early to commit, will wait and watch till picture is clear: JJP As the BJP’s lead fell in Haryana, Naina Chautala, key leader of the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) and mother of JJP chief Dushyant Chautala said that it is too soon to commit and that the party will wait and watch until the entire picture is clear.





12:15 pm IST NCP’s Dhananjay Munde leading from Parli, Pankaja Munde trails Dhananjay Munde of the NCP is leading from Parli, while the BJP candidate Pankaja Munde pitted against him is trailing.





11:58 am IST In Haryana, JJP takes lead in 9 seats Apart from BJP and Congress’s neck-and-neck fight in Haryana, other opposition parties have taken lead in 18 seats. The JJP is leading in 9 seats, INLD in two, four independents are leading and the rest of the parties are leading in three seats.





11:55 am IST Samjawadi Party’s Abu Azmi leading against Sena’a Vithal Lokare Samajwadi Party’s Abu Azmi leading by nearly 38,000 votes in Mankhurd against shiv sena’s Vithal Lokare.





11:40 am IST Have agreed upon a 50-50 formula: Sanjay Raut After observing trends where the Shiv Sena is leading in 49 seats currently, Sanjay Raut said “I am going to meet Uddhav Ji. Yes, we will definitely continue with the alliance. We have agreed upon a 50-50 formula,” according to news agency ANI.





11:15 am IST ‘Electoral, moral defeat of BJP’: Kumari Selja Haryana Congress chief Kumari Selja on Thursday took to Twitter to say “it is clear from the people’s mandate in Haryana that they have rejected BJP. It is not only BJP’s electoral defeat but also moral defeat.” हरियाणा के जनादेश से स्पष्ट है कि जनमत @BJP4Haryana को नकार चुका है। यह भाजपा की चुनावी हार के साथ ही नैतिक पराजय भी है। @INCHaryana प्रदेश में सरकार बनाने जा रही है।#IbbkeCongress — Kumari Selja (@kumari_selja) October 24, 2019





11:10 am IST BJP suffers setback in Nagpur and Vidarbha The sitting BJP MLA from west Nagpur, Sudhakar Deshmukh is trailing behind of his Congress rival, Vikas Thakre from west Nagpur. Deshmukh is representing the west Nagpur assembly constituency for the last two consecutive terms.





11:05 am IST At 11 am, Cong-NCP lead in 93 seats in Maharashtra As per trends at 11 am, the Congress-NCP alliance was leading in 93 seats out of 288 in Maharashtra, while the leads of BJP-Shiv Sena fell to 175.





10:40 am IST NCP’s Suresh Mane trails Pitted against Shiv Sena’s Aaditya Thackeray, NCP’s Suresh Mane is currently trailing in Mumbai’s Worli.





10:20 am IST In Haryana, BJP’s lead falls below majority mark In Haryana, after initially leading in the first rounds of counting, the BJP has fallen below the majority mark. It is now leading in 43 seats, while the Congress is leading in 33 seats.





10:15 am IST Sensex jumps 230 points In early trade, Sensex and Nifty gained taking cues from the poll trends in Haryana and Maharashtra. Sensex opened at 39,223.01, higher from its previous close of 39,058.83. The broader Nifty was also up by 62.80 point to 11,666.90.





10:10 am IST At 10 am, BJP-Shiv Sena leads in 180 seats in Maharashtra After the initial rounds of counting, the BJP Shiv Sena alliance in Maharashtra is leading in 180 seats- BJP in 106, Shiv Sena in 74, while the Congress- NCP alliance is leading in 87 seats- NCP in 50 seats, Congress in 37.





10:00 am IST Bhupinder Singh Hooda at counting centre in Rohtak Senior Congress leader and former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda was seen at a counting centre in Rohtak.





9:45 am IST Babita, Sonali Phogat now leading After trailing in the initial rounds of counting, BJP’s Babita Phogat and Sonali Phogat are now leading from their constituencies Dadri and Adampur respectively in Haryana.





9:32 am IST Apart from BJP, Congress, stats from other parties in Haryana Apart from BJP and Congress, who are currently leading in 45 and 29 seats respectively, the JJP is leading in 8 seats, INLD in 3 seats, IND in 3 seats, while the BSP and AAP are not leading on any seats yet.





9:23 am IST 2 Haryana ministers trailing In Haryana, three ministers Captain Abhimanyu and OP Dhankar are currently trailing.





9:22 am IST Major candidates trailing in Haryana Captain Abhimanyu (BJP) Babita Phogat (BJP) Sonali Phogat (BJP) OP Dhankar (BJP) Ram Bilas Sharma (BJP) Chander Mohan (Congress)





9:20 am IST Major candidates leading in Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar (BJP) Bhupinder Hooda (Congress) Anil Vij (BJP) Randeep Surjewala (Congress) Dushyant Chautala (JJP) Yogeshwer Dutt (BJP) Abhay Chautala (INLD) Kuldeep Bishnoi (Congress)





9:15 am IST Here are the major candidates trailing in Maharashtra Chhagan Bhujbal (NCP) Abu Azmi (SP) Waris Pathan (AIMIM)





9:10 am IST Here are the major candidates leading in Maharashtra Major candidates ahead in Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis (BJP) Aaditya Thackeray (Shiv Sena) Ajit Pawar (NCP) Jayant Patil (NCP) Prithviraj Chauhan (Congress) Radhkrishna Patil (BJP) Chandrakant Patil (BJP) Eknath Shinde (BJP) Rohit Pawar (NCP)





9:05 am IST Babita Phogat, Sonali Phogat trail Wrestler and BJP leader Babita Phogat, who contested assembly polls from Haryana’s Dadri, is currently trailing. BJP’s Sonali Phogat, who also a popular TikTok star, contested from Adampur and is currently trailing.





9:03 am IST NCP’s Ajit Pawar, Jayant Patil take lead In Maharashtra, Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) Ajit Pawar and Jayant Patil are currently leading form their Baramati and Islampur respectfully.





8:55 am IST BJP’s Khattar leads from Karnal, Yogeshwar Dutt ahead in Baroda Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar is currently leading from his constituency Karnal, while wrestler and BJP candidate from Baroda has also taken the lead. Dutt is up against Congress’s Sri Krishan Hooda who had successfully contested in the 2009 and 2014 elections.





8:48 am IST Aaditya Thackeray takes lead in Worli The first in their family to contest elections, Aaditya Thackeray of Shiv Sena is leading from his constituency Worli in Maharashtra.





8:45 am IST BJP’s lead crosses majority mark in Haryana in early trends In Haryana, BJP’s lead has currently crossed the majority mark in early trends. The saffron party has a lead in 53 seats, while the Congress is ahead in 20 seats as of now.





8:38 am IST In early trends, BJP-Shiv Sena ahead in over 100 seats in Maharashtra In early trends, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance is ahead in over 100 seats in Maharashtra. The alliance is currently leading in 135 seats while the Congress-NCP tie up is ahead in 51 seats.





8:35 am IST BJP leads in 41 seats, Congress ahead in 12 in Haryana In Haryana, the BJP is leading in 41 seats out of 90 while the Congress is ahead in 12 seats currently. In 2014, the BJP had won 47 seats while Congress and others had 15 and 28 respectively.





8:31 am IST 25,000 personnel on counting duty To ensure smooth counting of votes in Maharashtra, over 25,000 personnel have been deployed, an election official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.





8:26 am IST BJP-Sena ahead in 64 seats Currently, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in Maharashtra is leading in 64 out of 288 seats, while the Congress-NCP tie up is ahead in 22 seats.





8:22 pm IST BJP’s Pankaja Munde leads in Parli, NCP’s Rohit Pawar leads from Maval In Maharashtra, BJP candidate Pankaja Munde from Parli has taken lead while NCP’s Rohit Pawar is leading from the Maval constituency.





8:16 am IST In early trends, BJP-Shiv Sena leads in 32 seats in Maharashtra As voting across Maharashtra has begun, in early trends BJP- Shiv Sena is leading in 32 out of 288 seats while the Congress- NCP alliance has taken lead in 15 seats so far.





8:12 am IST BJP’s Fadnavis leading in Nagpur South West As counting of votes has begun in both Maharashtra and Haryana,BJP has taken early lead in both the states. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis is currently leading from Nagpur South West constituency. In Haryana former CM and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda is leading from Garhi Sampla-Kiloli.





8:06 am IST In early trends, BJP takes lead First trend of results of assembly election in Maharashtra is in and BJP’s Bhimrao Anandrao Dhonde is leading from Ashti.





8:00 am IST Counting begins Amid tight security, counting across Haryana and Maharashtra has begun





7:55 am IST Tight security at counting centre as counting set to begin Security across counting centres in Haryana and Maharashtra has been tightened as counting of votes that were polled on October 21 is set to begin in another five minutes.





7:45 am IST BJP cannot rule without the Shiv Sena: Sanjay Raut Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday made a sarcastic remark that the BJP cannot rule in Maharashtra white the Sena’s support. “The BJP cannot rule without the Shiv Sena. Even if the BJP somehow secures 180 seats from the 164 it is contesting, we will still be in the alliance and in power,” Raut had said. In the state assembly election, Shiv Sena contested 124 seats while the BJP fielded 164 candidates, in accordance with their seat-sharing formula. Despite the alliance in the state, Shiv Sena fielded candidates against the BJP on two seats – Kankavli and Maan.





7:40 am IST 4406 candidates in fray A total of 4406 candidates - 1169 in Haryana and 3237 in Maharashtra- are in fray this time in the assembly elections. BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena’s Aaditya Thackeray are among the key contests in Maharashtra while in Haryana the saffron party’s Manohar Lal Khattar and Congress’s Bhupinder Singh Hooda are among the key contenders.





7:30 am IST 5000 ‘laddus’ among BJP’s ‘victory’ preparations in Maharashtra The BJP in Maharashtra has already started with ‘victory preparations’. Officials have made arrangements for huge screen in order to watch the live coverage of counting. An order for garlands and 5000 ‘laddus’ has also been place, an official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. The party workers have also been told to arrive at the BJP headquarter near the state secretariat in south Mumbai after 19 am, which is when poll trends are likely to come up.





7:25 am IST Mumbai BJP office decorated ahead of counting As counting of votes is set to begin in half an hour from now, the Mumbai BJP office was seen decorated with colourful banners, flowers and flags.





7:18 am IST ‘Have faith in public, myself’, says Babita Phogat Ahead of counting of votes in Haryana, BJP candidate and wrestler Babita Phogat, who is contesting from Dadri assembly constituency said that she has faith in the public and herself. “People have given me love and support, that is my strength, & what keeps me going. People will give blessings to their daughter,” she was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.





7:15 am IST Priyanka Chaturvedi sends best wishes to candidates Shiv Sena deputy leader Priyanka Chaturvedi early Thursday wished all the candidates of Haryana and Maharashtra as counting of votes in both the state is set to begin shortly and the results are likely to be declared by the end of the day.





7:10 am IST Counting to begin shortly In approximately an hour from now, counting for assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana will begin and likely by the end of the day, it will be clear as to which party or alliance will form the government in the two states.





7:00 am IST Majority mark in two states In Maharashtra, the winning party or alliance needs to get a minimum of 145 seats, while at least 46 seats are needed by a party to form the government in Haryana.





6:45 am IST After first-time win in 2014, Manohar Lal Khattar seeks second term In 2014, for the first time BJP came to power in Haryana winning 47 out of 90 assembly seats and Manohar Lal Khattar took oath as the chief minister. Khattar, who contested polls from Karnal, is looking to retain his citadel in the state. In the previous two terms, that is from 2005-09 and 2009-14, the Congress party was in power in the state under Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s leadership.





6:30 am IST What exit polls predicted for Maharashtra If exits polls are anything to go by, in Maharashtra the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena alliance will cross the 200-mark. The Republic- Jan Ki Baat exit poll on Monday predicted that the alliance would 216-230 seats in the 288-member assembly, NEWSX-POLSTRAT predicted it would get 188-220 seats, while India Today-Axis said the tie up was likely to win 166-194 seats. News18-IPSOS had said the alliance would win 243 seats, ABP C-Voter predicted its win on 192-216 seats, while Times Now ‘s exit poll has predicted their win on 230 seats.





6:15 am IST What exit polls predicted for Haryana Most exit polls have predicted the saffron party will retain its hold in the state of Haryana where it won 47 seats out of 90 seats in 2014, while the opposition Congress got 15 seats and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) won 20 seats. Times Now exit poll predicted that the BJP will win 71 seats, while the Congress will get 11 seats, while the Republic TV exit polls shows BJP would be ahead with 52-63 seats, and the Congress would follow with 15-19 seats. News channel NewsX’s exit poll showed a similar trend. Most exit polls have predicted that the BJP would get somewhere between 50-75 seats.



