Election 2024 Highlights: Most exit polls predict NDA win in Jharkhand, Mahayuti in Maharashtra

Election 2024 Live: Three exit polls predicted a possible shift in Jharkhand's government, with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) likely to take power, while one poll suggested a majority for the ruling JMM-led alliance.

Elections for 81 assembly seats in Jharkhand were held in two phases.

Today's Chanakya exit poll indicated that the NDA could secure 45-50 seats, while the JMM-led alliance might win 35-38 seats, with others taking 3-5 seats.

The Peoples Pulse exit poll projected the NDA to win 44-53 seats, the JMM-led alliance 25-37 seats, and others 5-9 seats.

Election 2024 Live: Most of the exit polls have predicted an easy victory for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in the Maharashtra assembly election. However, some of the pollsters have forecast a neck-and-neck fight between the Mahayuti and Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance. The P-Marq exit poll predicted a close contest in Maharashtra. According to the agency, the BJP-led alliance will win between 137 and 157 seats. The Congress-led alliance will win between 126 and 146 seats. Others will win between 2 and 8 seats. Dig deeper

Election 2024 Live: Polling for the second phase of Jharkhand Assembly elections across 38 constituencies in 12 districts concluded with an estimated voter turnout of 67.61%.

As per the Election Commission of India (ECI), Jamtara saw the highest turnout at 76.16%, followed by Pakur at 75.88% and Deoghar at 72.46%.

Bokaro had the lowest turnout at 60.97%, with Dhanbad at 63.39%, Dumka at 71.74%, Giridih at 65.89%, Godda at 67.24%, Hazaribagh at 64.41%, Ramgarh at 71.98%, and Sahebganj at 65.63%.

The state capital, Ranchi, recorded a turnout of 72.01% by 5:00 pm.

Election 2024 Live: Sanjay Nirupam, the Shiv Sena candidate from Dindoshi in Mumbai, has alleged that a party worker was attacked by activists of the rival Shiv Sena (UBT) during the Maharashtra Assembly polls.

He claimed that "Muslim" supporters of Shiv Sena (UBT) were involved in the attack in the Pathanwadi-Sanjay Nagar area. "Hundreds of Muslim workers from Shiv Sena (UBT) were trying to influence voters and obstruct them. They later attacked our worker and attempted to intimidate electors," Nirupam told PTI.

Nirupam, who is contesting against Sunil Prabhu of Shiv Sena (UBT) in the Dindoshi constituency, has filed a complaint with the police, deeming the incident a violation of the Model Code of Conduct.

Election 2024 Live: Nearly 60% voter turnout was recorded by 5 pm in the bypolls to four assembly segments in Punjab. The elections were largely peaceful, except for a minor altercation between AAP and Congress supporters in Dera Baba Nanak.

The bypolls were held in Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal (SC), and Barnala constituencies after their respective legislators were elected to the Lok Sabha.

Officials reported a 59.67% overall turnout till 5 pm, with Gidderbaha leading at 78.10%, followed by Dera Baba Nanak at 59.80%, Barnala at 52.70%, and Chabbewal at 48.01%.

Election 2024 Live: Over 50 per cent voter turnout was recorded in bypolls for 15 assembly seats across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, and Uttarakhand, amid reports of sporadic violence and allegations of irregularities involving police officials and misuse of government machinery.

Following complaints from SP president Akhilesh Yadav about police officers checking voter IDs and Aadhaar cards in violation of Election Commission guidelines, the EC suspended five police personnel in Uttar Pradesh for obstructing voters from casting their ballots.

Election 2024 Live: Actor Salman Khan arrived at a polling booth in Mumbai to cast his vote in the Maharashtra assembly elections, amidst heightened security.

Earlier, on October 24, Mumbai Police apprehended a man from Jamshedpur who had issued a threat to Salman Khan, claiming to be associated with gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, and demanding a ransom of ₹5 crore. The Mumbai Police registered a case and launched an investigation after a threatening message was received by the Mumbai Traffic Police.

Election 2024 Live: After voting in the Maharashtra assembly polls in Mumbai, Reliance Foundation Founder-Chairperson Nita Ambani stated, “I have just cast my vote. It is an extremely proud feeling as a citizen of Mumbai to exercise my right to vote. I hope all Mumbaikars have come out and voted today.”

Election 2024 Live: As of 5 pm, voter turnout in Maharashtra's assembly elections stands at 58.22%, according to the Election Commission of India.

In Jharkhand, the voter turnout for the assembly election has reached 67.59%.

2024 Maharashtra election live: Thane district, which has 18 assembly seats, records 39.20% voting till 3pm.

2024 Maharashtra election live: A 101-year-old woman cast her vote in Latur city, Maharashtra, demonstrating that age is no obstacle when it comes to fulfilling one’s civic duty. Accompanied by her family, Narmadabai Madanlal Toshniwal exercised her right to vote at booth No. 334 at Venkatesh Primary School in Solapur Galli.

After casting her ballot, she highlighted the significance of each vote in the democratic process.

2024 Maharashtra election live: Voting in Maharashtra's Nandurbar constituency was temporarily halted due to technical issues with the EVMs. Officials have begun the process of replacing the machines.

2024 Maharashtra election live: A polling booth was vandalised, and a worker from Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) was assaulted in Parli assembly constituency, PTI reported.

The incident occurred in Bank Colony area of Parli town, where Madhav Jadhav, a local leader of the Sharad Pawar-led party, was attacked. The assault video went viral on social media.

Following the assault, a polling booth in Ghatnandur was vandalized.

The attackers entered the booth, threw the EVM to the ground, and damaged furniture.

Madhav Jadhav is from Ghatnandur, the location of the polling booth that was targeted.

Beed Collector Avinash Pathak confirmed that after the EVMs were damaged, the administration replaced them and voting resumed.

Election 2024 Live: Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries, along with his sons Anant Ambani and Akash Ambani, and daughter-in-law Shloka Mehta, cast their votes in the Maharashtra assembly election.

Election 2024 Live: An attempt at booth capturing was made at four locations in Parli, Maharashtra's Beed district, during voting for the assembly election. Election Commission officers intervened, stopping the attempts and replacing the machines. Several individuals have been detained in connection with the incident.

Election 2024 Live: A total of 41.92 per cent voter turnout was recorded across the nine assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh by 3 pm during the ongoing bypolls.

An incident of stone-pelting occurred in Kakroli village during the Meerapur assembly bypoll, following a confrontation between two groups.

Senior Superintendent of Police Abhishek Singh informed reporters that the police quickly arrived at the scene and used "mild force" to disperse the crowd.

Election 2024 Live: A voter turnout of 45.53 per cent has been recorded in the Maharashtra assembly elections as of 3 pm on Wednesday, according to the Election Commission of India's Voter Turnout App.

Meanwhile, a voter turnout of 61.47 per cent has been recorded in the Jharkhand assembly elections as of 3 pm.

Election 2024 Live: Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav accused the ruling BJP of misusing administrative machinery to secure a win in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly bypolls "through manipulation."

He mentioned that his party has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) regarding "irregularities" in several constituencies.

Voting is currently underway for bypolls to nine assembly seats in the state.

Election 2024 Live: Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde and his wife, Vrushali Shrikant Shinde, expressed optimism about the voter turnout after casting their votes in the ongoing Maharashtra assembly elections.

Vrushali praised the positive atmosphere, while Shrikant attributed the high participation, especially among women, to the development work and the Ladli Behna Yojana.

Earlier, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, after casting his vote, referred to the elections as a "festival of democracy" and encouraged everyone to vote actively. He also pointed out the differences in governance between the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and Mahayuti.

Election 2024 Live: Kalpana Soren, wife of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and JMM candidate from the Gandey Assembly seat, expressed confidence in the Mahagathbandhan alliance's victory in the assembly elections. She said that the state's people will support Hemant Soren and the Mahagathbandhan.

As of 1 pm, a voter turnout of 47.92% was recorded in the second phase of the Jharkhand assembly polls, according to the Election Commission of India.

The main competition in the elections is between the Mahagathbandhan and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Election 2024 Live: Actor Tusshar Kapoor cast his vote at a polling booth in Mumbai, highlighting the importance of voting. "Many people don't vote because they have no interest in politics. But we should feel proud of our city and our country and we should never give up on democracy. This is the least we can do... Every vote matters," Kapoor said after casting his ballot.

Veteran actor Prem Chopra and actress Isha Koppikar also participated in the voting process. Chopra, pleased with the smooth arrangements at his polling station, shared, "The arrangements at the polling booth are very nice... Even though I had the option of voting from home, I still came here to cast my vote like everyone else."

Election 2024 Live: NCP-SCP leader and Mumbra-Kalwa Assembly candidate, Jitendra Ahwad, cast his vote at a polling station in Thane. He said, “I have just cast my vote. We are getting more than 160 seats.”

Election 2024 Live: A voter turnout of 34.40% was recorded in the Kedarnath assembly bypoll in Uttarakhand by 1 pm, according to the Election Commission.

District Electoral Officer Saurabh Gaharwar visited polling booths to ensure smooth voting and encouraged people to come out and vote in large numbers.

At several booths, 'bulawa toli' volunteers assisted the elderly and infirm. In Agastyamuni and Rudraprayag, it was common to see elderly women being helped up the steps to the polling booths by female 'bulawa toli' volunteers.

Election 2024 Live: Addressing allegations of voting irregularities in Uttar Pradesh's Kundarki Assembly by-election, SSP Moradabad Satpal Antil told ANI, “Gazetted officers are being sent to the spot from where allegations have been made. For each allegation, an investigation is being done. We recently went to a nearby village, and similar things came up there as well. In that village, we have removed 1 sub-inspector and 2 constables from duty, and it is being ensured that the election process is completely fair and a maximum number of people can participate in a free and fair manner.”

Election 2024 Live: Voting for bypolls in nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh gained momentum after a slow start, with over 31% voter turnout recorded by 1 pm on Wednesday.

The Election Commission provided the following turnout data:

Ghaziabad: 20.92%

Katehari: 24.28%

Khair: 28.80%

Kundarki: 41.01%

Karhal: 32.29%

Majhawan: 31.68%

Meerapur: 36.77%

Phulpur: 26.67%

Sisamau: 28.50%