Television channels reported on Saturday that they expected Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party and its supporters to regain control of the country’s wealthiest state after a disappointing general election.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti alliance led 221 of 288 seats in Maharashtra, the home of Mumbai, the financial center of India. Local media predicts that the opposition Congress party and its allies will secure 55 seats in the state elections.
“The Mahayuti government… has achieved undisputed and resounding success,” the state’s chief minister, Eknath Shinde, posted on the social media networking site X.
Modi lost his majority in the April–June parliamentary elections and had to rely on unpredictable allies to form a government. In the northern state of Haryana, his party won state elections last month.
After winning state elections, political parties gain more representation in the upper house of parliament, which is crucial for making decisions.
According to media reports, the Congress-led opposition and the ruling regional party, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, are collaborating to retake power in the mine-rich eastern state of Jharkhand.
Political parties in both states have introduced several policies, claiming they will benefit women and farmers, two groups considered important voting sectors.
We anticipate Maharashtra and Jharkhand results later on Saturday.