Results are pending for Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections. Maharashtra saw a voter turnout of 66.05% with Mahayuti and MVA alliances competing fiercely. Jharkhand’s first phase involved 43 out of 81 seats,

Cash was king when it came to wooing voters. Direct transfers, under whatever name they be, Ladki Bahin in Maharashtra or Mukhyamantri Maiya Samman Yojana in Jharkhand, have helped parties ride back to power.

The Mahayuti alliance appears all set to retain Maharashtra for the third consecutive term, while the JMM and team have crossed the halfway mark in Jharkhand.

As per the early trends, BJP's Devendra Fadnavis was leading from Nagpur South West, Vijay Vadettiwar is leading from Chandrapur Brahmapuri, and Nana Padole, state president of Congress, is leading from Sakoli.

The BJP-led Mahayuti is poised to sweep Maharashtra, while the Congress-led INDIA bloc is leading in Jharkhand as counting of votes for the assembly elections in both states continues.

As counting day approaches, exit polls suggest a fierce battle between the BJP-led NDA and the JMM-led INDIA bloc in Jharkhand, while Maharashtra shows a potential sweep for the ruling Mahayuti alliance.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party is headed for a victory in state elections in politically significant Maharashtra while the opposition won mineral-rich Jharkhand state

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling alliance is leading in polls in Maharashtra by a wide margin, signaling policy continuity in a state which houses most of India’s billionaires and is home to some of the country’s biggest investments.