Exit poll highlights: Mahayuti likely to retain Maharashtra, close fight in J'khand

Exit poll 2024 live: Axis My India, led by psephologist Pradeep Gupta will independently release the exit poll predictions for the Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly elections.

Pradeep Gupta's Axis My India used to release exit poll projections in partnership with the India Today news channel. However, the Axis My India and the channel parted ways earlier this year.

Exit poll 2024 live: Till 5 pm, Jharkhand (phase-II) and Maharashtra recorded 67.59 per cent and 58.22 per cent voter turnout respectively, as per the Election Commission of India data.

Exit poll 2024 live: Poll agencies and media houses will shortly release the exit poll results for the recently concluded Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly elections.

In Maharashtra, the fight is between the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance and the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi. In Jharkhand, the BJP-led NDA is attempting to dislodge the JMM-Congress alliance from power. The election results for both states will be announced on November 23.

Exit poll 2024 live: Bollywood actor Shakti Kapoor cast his vote in Mumbai on Wednesday. On being asked, he said roads and cleanliness biggest issues in the city.

“It is very important to cast a vote, everybody should cast their votes in Mumbai, roads are a big issue, roads should be good, there should be cleanliness, and there should be a focus on education and health. There shouldn't be any corruption,” Kapoor told ANI.

Exit poll 2024 live: The Election Commission also conducted by-polls in 15 assembly seats across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, and Uttarakhand. The voting for the bye-election concluded at 6 pm. The counting of votes will take place on November 23.

Exit poll 2024 live: Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Wednesday seemed confident of NDA's victory in both Maharashtra and Jharkhand as voting concludes. Exit polls predictions will start coming in shortly.

“In Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections are going on. I have full faith that the people of Jharkhand & Maharashtra will choose double engine govt,” Singh said.

Exit poll 2024 live: Exit poll predictions can only be released after voting concludes across the state, according to the Election Commission of India's guidelines.

Pollsters and media houses can be broadcast these predictions for both Maharashtra and Jharkhand starting at 6.30 pm on November 20.

Exit poll 2024 live: Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said that the media, particularly electronic media, need to introspect about the expectations that arise due to exit polls.

“Because of expectations set by exit polls, a huge distortion is created. This is an issue that needs self-introspection, especially for electronic media,” he said as he called on self-regulatory bodies such as the National Broadcasters Association (NBSA) to regulate the media entities.

Exit poll 2024 live: In 2019, the India Today-Axis My India gave an edge to the JMM-Congress-led UPA. It said the UPA would win 43 seats, whereas the BJP would win 27.

ABP-Voter predicted a hung assembly. It said the UPA would win 35 seats whereas the BJP would win 32 seats.

Times Now predicted 44 seats for the UPA and 28 for the BJP.

Exit poll 2024 live: Founder-Chairperson of Reliance Foundation Nita Ambani on Wednesday cast her vote in the Maharashtra assembly election. “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,” she said.

Exit poll 2024 live: Five Uttar Pradesh police personnel were suspended and many others removed from poll duty on Wednesday for flouting Election Commission guidelines and stopping electors from casting votes in the ongoing assembly polls, officials said.

Exit poll 2024 live: EVMs are being sealed by polling officials as the voting for the UP bye-elections concludes.

Actor Shah Rukh Khan along with his wife Gauri Khan, daughter & actor Suhana Khan and son Aryan Khan arrive to cast their vote for the Maharashtra Assembly elections.

Exit poll 2024 live: Bollywood actor Govinda was spotted outside a polling booth in Mumbai on Wednesday as he arrived to cast his vote during the Maharashtra assembly elections.

Asked about his recovery, Govinda smiled and said, "Sab accha hai (Everything is fine)."

Exit poll 2024 live: Six polling stations across three villages in Parli, Beed district, were vandalised by unidentified individuals in an area where agriculture minister and Nationalist Congress Party leader Dhanajay Munde is contesting.

Exit poll 2024 live: As several Bollywood actors came out to vote for the Maharashtra assembly elections on Wednesday, actor Rajat Kapoor said that voter turnout in Mumbai is usually lower than expected.

“People may be disappointed that they vote for somebody but it does not end up where it is supposed to. I hope for a government that is proactive, pro-people, and inclusive,” Kapoor told ANI.

Exit poll 2024 live: Workers of Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party faction allegedly blocked NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal from entering the polling booth in Maharashtra's Yevla constituency, media reports claimed.

Exit poll 2024 live: Sharmila Pawar, the mother of NCP (SP) candidate Yugendra Pawar, accused workers from the rival NCP faction, led by sitting MLA Ajit Pawar, of “intimidation and death threats”.

Exit poll 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.

Exit poll 2024 live: Congress party will not be participating in the exit polls to be telecast today after the completion of the election process: Congress sources

Exit polls 2024 live: A man wanted by the Enforcement Directorate in a 'cash-for-votes' case-linked money laundering investigation in Maharashtra has been apprehended at the Ahmedabad International Airport, official sources said on Wednesday.

Exit polls 2024 live: A voter turnout of 61.47 per cent has been recorded in the Jharkhand assembly elections as of 3 pm.

Pollsters will start rolling out exit poll predictions for the Maharashtra Assembly elections and the Jharkhand assembly polls 2024 after 6:30 pm.

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.

Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde and his wife, Vrushali Shrikant Shinde, appeared optimistic and confident about the voter turnout after casting their votes in the ongoing Maharashtra Assembly Elections on Wednesday, ANI reported.