Elections LIVE: Exit polls give BJP, allies victory in Maharashtra, Haryana

Low to average voter turnout was reported in assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana, where the BJP is seeking a second term in power and has predicted an easy victory.

8:47 PM

Voter turnout in bypolls

Voter turnout was 57 per cent in by-elections to 51 assembly seats and two Lok Sabha constituencies spread across 18 states, reports news agency PTI. Uttar Pradesh reported 47.05 per cent turnout in 11 assembly seats. By-elections to five assembly constituencies in Kerala were marred by heavy rains.

7:25 PM

Karnal: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar arrives on a bicycle with his supporters to cast vote during Haryana Assembly elections, in Karnal, Monday | Photo: Twitter (PTI)

7:25 PM

Congress, NCP headed for defeat

The News18-Ipsos exit poll numbers suggest an improvement in the number of seats won by BJP in 2014 as compared to the numbers it will win in 2019. The numbers suggest a growth from 47 seats in 2014 to 75 seats in 2019. However, the Congress' numbers are likely to see a drop from 15 seats in 2014 to 10 seats this year.

 

7:15 PM

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his wife Amruta Fadnavi pose for photographs affer voting in Nagpur.

7:12 PM

Exit poll predicts BJP, Shiv Sena to retain Maharashtra

NDTV's 'poll of polls' predicts the BJP and Shiv Sena alliance will win 211 seats in Maharashtra, the Congress-NCP alliance 64 seats, and other parties 13. The half-way mark is 145.

7:05 PM

Exit poll predicts massive victory for BJP in Haryana

NDTV, which combined several exit polls, predicts the BJP will get 66 seats, the Congress 14, the Akalis and INLD together 2 and other parties 8 seats. That gives BJP chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar an absolute majority in the state assembly.

6:58 PM

BJP sweeping Haryana: Exit poll

News18-Ipsos exit poll predicts the BJP will win 75 seats in Haryana, Congress 10, Dushyant Chautala's Jannayak Janata Party 2 and other parties 3. The half-way mark in the state assembly is 46.

6:51 PM

Shiv Sena does better

News18-Ipsos exit poll predicts the BJP and Shiv Sena alliance will win 243 seats in Maharashtra. BJP will get 141 seats and Shiv Sena 102, says the poll. Shiv Sena appears to improving its tally since 2014 when it won just 63 seats.

6:44 PM

BJP returning to power in Haryana

The BJP is predicted to win 66 seats in Haryana. The Congress 14, INLD-Akali get 2 seats together, says the poll of polls. Haryana voted for 90 seats--the half-way mark is 46 seats.

 

6:44 PM

BJP, Shiv Sena to win Maharashtra: Exit poll

NDTV's poll of polls predict BJP and Shiv Sena will win 211 seats in Maharashtra. Congress, NCP alliance gets 64 seats. Maharashtra voted for 288 seats and the majority mark is 145.

 

6:37 PM

BJP, allies set to return to power: TV exit polls

Most TV exit polls predict comfortable victories for the BJP and its allies in Maharashtra and Haryana.

6:33 PM

First exit polls give BJP, NCP clear victory in Maharashtra

India Today-Axis My India exit polls gives 166-194 seats to the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in Maharashtra. Congress-NCP gets 72-90 seats. Elections were held for 288 seats and the half-way mark is 145

6:22 PM

TV exit polls

First TV exit polls on the elections to be out soon.

6:01 PM

Voting ends in Maharashtra and Haryana. 

5:47 PM

44.6% voter turnout recorded till 5 pm in Maharashtra, in Haryana it's 53.7%: TV news channel NDTV.

5:05 PM

Tamil Nadu bypolls

Vikravandi and Nanguneri assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu reported 65.79 percent and 52.18 percent in bypolls till 3pm. By-poll in Vikravandi was announced after DMK legislator K Rathamani dies in June. The Nanguneri seat fell vacant when Congress lawmaker H Vasantha Kumar resigned after being elected to the Lok Sabha.

4:16 PM

Maharashtra's cooperative bank politics

Cooperative banks in Maharashtra have long had deep connections with politicians and political parties. The collapse of Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative Bank (PMC) threw the spotlight on such banks. But there are exceptions. The Ahmednagar district cooperative bank boasted of Rs 6,902 crore deposits in FY19 with a net profit of Rs 37 crore. The bank has links who’s who of Maharashtra politics. Read Archis Mohan's special election story on the success, and the politics, of this cooperative bank.

3:38 PM

Clashes in Beed and Jalna districts in Maharashtra

Groups clashed in Beed and Jalna districts of Maharashtra during elections, news agency PTI reported. In Beed's Balepeer, supporters of Shiv Sena candidate Jaydatt Kshirsagar and NCP nominee Sandeep Kshirsagar clashed over vehicles being used to ferry voters to polling booths. In Jalna's Jamkhed, two groups supporting to local political leaders clashed the police broke them up.

3:30 PM

Voter turnout

Voter turnout in Maharashtra till 3pm is 34.2 percent, in Harayana it's 44.8 percent: TV news channel NDTV.

3:06 PM

Maharashtra assembly elections 2019: Our alliance will get 230-240 seats, says Ramdas Athawale

Union Minister and Republican Party of India (RPI) chief Ramdas Athawale on Monday expressed confidence over the BJP-Shiv Sena-RPI alliance and said that they will win around 230-240 seats in the state elections. There are 289 seats in the Maharashtra assembly. Read more

2:48 PM

2:35 PM

30.89% polling till 1 pm in Maharashtra Assembly elections

Altogether 30.89 per cent voters exercised their franchise in the first six hours on Monday in Maharashtra, after polling for the 288 Assembly seats began at 7 am, officials said.

 

Election officials said Akkalkuwa constituency in north Maharashtra recorded 41.32 per cent voting till 1 pm, while Magathane in north Mumbai recorded 30.43 per cent polling during the same period.

 

Tribal Dahanu in Palghar district recorded 39.75 per cent voting in the first six hours, the officials said.

 

The percentage is likely to rise considering the long queues outside several polling booths, the official said.

2:33 PM

Maharashtra elections 2019: Deepika Padukone casts vote in Bandra

2:25 PM

Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar cast votes in Mumbai

2:20 PM

Here are three issues that will determine how Maharashtra votes today

1. Article 370: Like in Haryana, the BJP has turned the Maharashtra Assembly election into a referendum on its national security agenda with both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP leader Amit Shah in rally after rally reminding people of Article 370, that accorded a special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and how the BJP government at the Centre abrogated it.

 

2. Agrarian Crisis: Despite all efforts by the BJP, the agrarian crisis continues to remain in the spotlight in Maharashtra. Information received under a recent RTI query shows that while 12,021 farmers committed suicide in the state between 2015 and 2018, an astounding 396 farmers killed themselves this year between January and February alone.

 

3. Unemployment: This will certainly be a determining factor for many as they go out to vote with the economic slowdown resulting in overwhelming job loss in the country. Unemployment has been a silent but raging electoral issue in Maharashtra Assembly elections, but unlike Haryana, where it was only talked about in terms of Maruti's performance at its Manesar plant.

2:04 PM

Actors Anil Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan cast votes

1:46 PM

'Video was edited': BJP candidate Bakshish Singh in reply to a show-cause notice issued against him

1:38 PM

1:23 PM

'If you don't vote, you have no right to complain later': Gulzar to senior citizens

1:23 PM

Maharashtra assembly elections 2019: Union Minister Smriti Irani casts vote in Mumbai