Counting of votes commenced at 8:00 am on 22nd November 2024 for the State Assemblies of Maharashtra and Jharkhand. Counting is also on for the bye elections held in 48 Assembly Constituencies and two Parliamentary Constituencies across 15 states including Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

Polling was earlier conducted in two phases on 18th November and 22nd November 2024.

The Election Commission of India had informed that the voter turnout for the polls on 22nd November in both Maharashtra and Jharkhand had surpassed the polling percentage in 2019 assembly elections. The Commission said that polling for 288 ACs in Maharashtra and 38 ACs in Jharkhand recorded an approximate voter turnout of 65.02% and 68.45 % respectively. Voter turnout in the first phase of Jharkhand election where 43 ACs polled on 18th November recorded 66.48%.

It will be known by evening if the BJP led Mahayuti alliance holds its fort or Congress-NCP(SP)-Shiv Sena(UBT) alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi, topples the ruling government. Most exit polls have predicted the BJP alliance of winning the majority.

Meanwhile, exit polls are favouring the BJP alliance in Jharkhand though it is a tight call. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Congress and RJD government survived the term even after its leader and present Chief Minister Hemant Soren was jailed for five months.

Further, today’s counting will decide if Congress’ Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will get a seat in the Parliament as she contested for Wayanad, Kerala, which was earlier left vacant after her brother Rahul Gandhi retained the Raebareli seat.