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Updated: Oct 21, 2019 21:18 IST

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is poised to return to power with a bigger mandate in both Maharashtra and Haryana, where voting for the assembly elections 2019 wound up on Monday, according to the News 18-IPSOS exit poll. In Maharashtra, where the ruling BJP is in alliance with the Shiv Sena, it is likely to notch up a tally of 142 in the 288-seat Assembly, with Shiv Sena bagging 102, the exit poll predicted.

The Congress and NCP will bag 17 and 22 seats only, the poll said. The grand old party’s run of bad luck is likely to continue in Maharashtra with its tally indicating a slump at just 17 seats down from 42.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena leader Aditya Thackery are predicted to be the big winners while former chief minister Ashok Chavan of the Congress and other top leaders of the Congress are tipped to lose, the News 18-IPSOS exit poll said.

In Haryana, the News 18-IPSOS exit poll has forecast a bigger majority for the BJP in the 90-seat Assembly. It has predicted 75 seats for the saffron party, with the Congress tipped to win 10—a slide from its tally of 15 last time.

The exit poll, however, predicted the biggest drubbing for the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), which may be wiped out in the state.

Broadcast soon after the polling ends for the day, exit polls however, do not always get their predictions right. On Monday, the several exit polls run by news channels differed widely in their projection of seats for the rival alliances but were unanimous in predicting a victory for the BJP-led NDA in Maharashtra and Haryana.

The India Today-My Axis exit poll projected 166-194 seats for the BJP-Shiv Sena in the Maharashtra assembly and 72-90 for the Congress-NCP alliance.

The ABP-C Voter predicted 204 seats for the BJP-Shiv Sena and 69 for the Congress-NCP. In Haryana, the possibility of a BJP victory was predicted to be even more likely.

The ABP-C Voter forecast 72 and eight seats for the BJP and the Congress respectively.