Exit polls reflected a divided outlook for Maharashtra, with most predicting an edge for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance but others hinting at a close contest with the MVA.

Maharashtra recorded a voter turnout of 45.53 per cent till 3 pm on Wednesday in the elections to the 288-member state le

Among the Mahayuti allies, the BJP has won or is ahead in 132 seats, Shiv Sena won 57 seats and NCP led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar bagged 41 seats.

The exit poll predictions for the Maharashtra Assembly elections are set to be released today. This election introduces two new contenders: the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party.

Most exit poll projections have given an edge to Mahayuti alliance of the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), BJP and the NCP (Ajit Pawar), with seats in their kitty estimated to be between 120-180 in the 288-seat Maharashtra Assembly,

The Congress could not maintain the momentum of its Lok Sabha performance when it won 13 seats out of 48 and the MVA alliance emerged victorious in 30 constituencies.

At 1 pm, the trends showed that the NDA was leading on 224 seats out of the total 288 in Maharashtra, while the INDIA bloc was ahead on 51 of the 81 seat Jharkhand Assembly