Maharashtra Exit Poll Results 2024 Highlights: Pollsters predict advantage for Mahayuti, setback for MVA

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar had said earlier that urban voter apathy continues to remain a concern. In this Maharashtra elections too, voter turnout in the Mumbai metropolitan city remains low. Till 3 PM, Mumbai city district recorded a voter turnout of 40.89%. Voter turnout in Colaba was 33.44%, Mahim recorded 45.56%, and Worli had 39.11%. The high profile constituency, Malabar Hill registered a voter turnout of 42.55% till 3 PM.

Till 3 PM, as of data fetched from Election Commission of India‘s Voter Turnout App, Maharashtra recorded a voter turnout of 45.53% till 3 PM.

Gadchiroli topped the list of districts with a voter turnout of 62.99%.

Mumbai city and Mumbai suburban districts recorded lower turnouts, with 40.89% and 39.34% respectively. Among the assembly segments in Mumbai city, Colaba had a turnout of 33.44%, Mahim saw 45.56%, and Worli recorded 39.11%. Shivadi had 41.76%, while Malabar Hill registered 42.55%.

In Mumbai suburban, Bhandup led with 48.82% voter turnout, followed by Dahisar at 41.91%, and Bandra East with 39.49%.

The key difference between an exit poll and an opinion poll lies in the timing and purpose of each.

An exit poll is conducted immediately after voters cast their ballots, typically outside polling stations. It asks voters which party or candidate they voted for, providing an early prediction of election results. Exit polls aim to forecast the outcome of an election before the official results are counted. Since it surveys actual voters on the day of voting, exit polls offer real-time insights, but they may still have a margin of error due to factors like sample size and voter behaviour.

An opinion poll is conducted well before an election, often weeks or months in advance. It surveys a random sample of people to gauge public opinion on political issues, party preferences, or candidate popularity. Opinion polls help parties and analysts understand trends, but they do not reflect actual voting behaviour and are more about predicting future outcomes based on current opinions.

Exit polls are surveys conducted with voters immediately after they cast their ballots, aiming to predict the outcome of an election before official results are announced. These polls typically ask voters which party or candidate they voted for and sometimes their reasons for their choices. Exit polls are conducted by polling agencies and media organisations, and the results are usually released shortly after voting ends. In Maharashtra, polling ends at 6 PM.

While exit polls offer a snapshot of public opinion and can give an early indication of how the election might unfold, they are not always accurate.

In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly election, the BJP had secured 105 seats, the undivided Shiv Sena had won 56 seats, and the undivided NCP had bagged 54 seats. The Congress finished with 44 seats.

The main candidates in Maharashtra elections 2024 are Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis, Amit Thackeray, Ajit Pawar, Yugendra Pawar, Nana Patole, Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Dhananjay Munde, Amit Thackeray, Sada Sarvankar, Zeeshan Siddique, among others. Read more to know about the key candidates in Maharashtra Elections 2024.

Among the prominent constituencies in Maharashtra include Baramati Assembly seat, Worli, Mahim, Bandra West, Bandra East, Satara, Borivali, Charkop, Thane, Nagpur, Dindoshi, Nanded, Nashik, Nandgaon, Palghar, Nalasopara. Read about the key constituencies in Maharashtra Elections here.

The current term of the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly ends on November 26, setting the stage for a fierce two-way contest between two major coalitions.The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) includess Uddhav Thackeray‘s Shiv Sena (UBT), the NCP led by Sharad Pawar, and Congress. The Mahayuti Alliance brings together the BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena afction, and Ajit Pawar-led NCP.

Of the 288 seats, 234 are general constituencies, 29 are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC), and 25 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST).

In 2019, various exit polls had predicted a comfortable BJP win in Maharashtra. The contest was primarily between the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance and the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) combine.

According to the India Today-Axis poll, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance was projected to win between 166 and 194 seats, while the Congress-NCP combine was expected to secure 72 to 90 seats.

The Jan Ki Baat poll had predicted BJP win with 135 to 142 seats, with Shiv Sena expected to get 81 to 88 seats. The Congress was projected to win 20 to 24 seats, while the NCP was expected to secure 30 to 35.

The ABP News-C Voter survey had predicted 204 seats for the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, with Congress and NCP with 69 seats in the 2019 Assembly elections.

Exit poll results for the Maharashtra assembly elections 2024 will be released shortly after voting ends today. Polling across 288 constituencies of Maharashtra started at 7 AM today and will end at 6 PM today. According to the Election Commission of India’s guidelines, exit poll predictions can be broadcast starting at 6:30 PM on Wednesday.

The number of candidates in Maharashtra assembly elections this year has increased by 28% compared to the 2019 state elections. A total of 4,136 candidates are contesting, up from 3,239 in 2019.

Among them, 2,086 are independents. More than 150 constituencies are seeing rebel candidates.

The main fight in Maharashtra is between the Mahayuti and the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliances.

In the Mahayuti alliance, the BJP is contesting 149 seats, Shiv Sena is competing in 81 seats, and the NCP, led by Ajit Pawar, has candidates in 59 constituencies. Meanwhile, in the opposition MVA alliance, Congress is contesting 101 seats, Shiv Sena (UBT) is in the fray for 95, and NCP (Sharad Pawar) has put up candidates in 86 seats.

Voting across all 288 constituencies in Maharashtra began at 7 AM today morning. A total of 4,136 candidates are in the fray in Maharashtra Elections 2024. Exit Polls prediction can only be released only after polling concludes.