The results of Maharashtra and Haryana Legislative Assembly elections are out and new governments are to be formed in next few days.
In Maharashtra out of 288 seats BJP won 105, Shiv Sena 56, NCP 54 and Congress 44. BJP had hoped to cross 144. Last time BJP had won 122 seats. It was not in alliance with Shiv Sena. Devendra Fadnavis made virtue of necessity and talked of 70% strike rate.
Devendra Fadnavis, first BJP CM of Maharashtra, completed term as CM and set to be CM again. His predecessors from 1972 onwards had not completed term. Some became chief ministers twice or more times.
In Haryana out of 90 seats BJP won 40, Congress 31, JJP 10, HLP 1, INLD 1 and independents 7. BJP had hoped to cross 75. Last time BJP had won 47 seats. First BJP wanted to form government with independents and Gopal Kanda of Haryana Lokhit Party. Gopal Kanda was taken in plane to Delhi. He fancied himself as kingmaker. Soon there was criticism of BJP for taking help of Gopal Kanda who was accused of abetment of suicide of Geetika Sharma who was an air hostess in Murli Dhar Lakh Ram Airlines. BJP dumped Gopal Kanda and went for alliance with JJP. Dushyant Chautala will be Deputy CM.
Exit polls were mostly wrong. Their forecast was in Haryana BJP will get 52-80 seats and in Maharashtra BJP-Shiv Sena will get 204-243 seats. India Today – Axis My Poll forecast of 32-44 for BJP in Haryana and 166-194 for BJP-Shiv Sena in Maharashtra was close to the results.
There were some by elections in some states. Udayanraje Bhonsle had won Lok Sabha election from Satara as NCP candidate and had quit just after three and half months to join BJP on 14/9/2019. This time he contested as BJP candidate and lost. In Gujarat, Alpesh Thakor who had quit Congress to contest again as BJP candidate lost from Radhanpur.
