Maharashtra Election Results 2024 Live Updates: The counting of votes in the Maharashtra assembly elections will begin at 8 am on Saturday.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), is seeking a comeback. The ruling Mahayuti – made up of the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP – wants to cement its hold over state politics, especially in the wake of divisions in two major regional parties.

In the ruling alliance, the BJP contested 149 assembly seats, Shiv Sena 81 seats, and the NCP fielded candidates in 59 constituencies. In the opposition’s combine, the Congress fielded 101 candidates, Shiv Sena (UBT) 95, and NCP (SP) put up 86 candidates.

Parties like Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM), also contested, fielding 237 and 17 candidates, respectively.

While most exit polls predict a victory for the Mahayuti alliance, three suggest that neither the Mahayuti nor the MVA will secure a decisive majority to form the next government in Maharashtra.

A total of 288 counting centres have been set up for the counting of votes on Saturday, including one for the Nanded Lok Sabha bypoll. The final turnout in the elections, held in a single phase on November 20, was 66.05 per cent, up from 61.1 per cent in 2019.

The majority mark in the 288-seat Maharashtra Assembly is 145, the number any alliance or party needs to crack to be able to form government in the state. The term of the present state assembly ends on November 26.