Debate over CM's face in both Mahayuti and MVA camps ahead of Maharashtra poll results

Shiv Sena (Shinde camp) MLA Sanjay Shirsat has already backed Eknath Shinde to continue as the Chief Minister, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said the party workers wished Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis for the top job.

Fadnavis is a former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, which is one of the largest states in India.

Switching to the MVA camp, the contest over the CM post is quite visible there too.

Congress state chief Nana Patole said his party will lead the government prompting Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray camp) leader Sanjay Raut to say that the MVA partners will decide together.

Exit polls predict advantage for Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra

The ruling Mahayuti alliance will taste victory in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly Elections, five out of nine exit polls predicted on Wednesday evening.

An average of all exit polls gave the ruling alliance 150 seats, which is eight  more than the majority needed in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly. The majority mark in the assembly stands at 145.

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi will bag 125 seats while non-aligned parties and independents will get 13, as per the pollsters.

Exit polls by Matrize, Chanakya Strategies, Times Now-JVC, Poll Diary, and Peoples Pulse, predicted 122-195 seats for the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party alliance.

Matrize has given the Mahayuti between 150 and 170 seats, Peoples Pulse between 175 and 195 seats, Chanakya Strategies between 152 and 160, and Times Now-JVC 150-167. Poll Diary gave the Mahayuti alliance between 122 and 186 seats, which translates into an average of 152.

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising the Congress and the Sena and NCP factions of Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar will get only 69 to 138, according to these five exit polls.