Pune: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiv Sena alliance will lead in Maharashtra. However, the number of seats is likely to decline. The BJP would win 19 seats, while Shiv Sena will manage to win 10 seats, reveals the exit poll conducted by Sakal. 
 
In the last Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 23 seats and Shiv Sena 18. Then, Raju Shetti-led Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana was part of the BJP-Sena alliance. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Sena alliance won 42 seats last time. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) won four, while Congress two seats totalling only six seats for Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) alliance. 

Although after two decades of its formation, the hope to reach a two-digit number was revived for the NCP, the chances of it happening are less, showed the exit poll. Both Congress-NCP would win eight seats each, while the other alliance members would win three seats, taking the total to 19, is the prediction.

Sakal Media Group survey was based on the reporting by reporters who conducted this survey in 288 Assembly constituencies consisting of 48 Lok Sabha constituencies on the actual day of voting. The special feature of this survey was that every constituency had seen a tough competition. At many places, the majority would be in a few thousands. This resulted in difficulty in predicting the poll survey too.

Secondly, despite Adv Prakash Ambedkar joining hands with Congress-NCP alliance for the Lok Sabha elections, the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi went to polls independently. This led to split in the secular parties, which would benefit the BJP-Sena alliance. This was predicted earlier by the poll pundits and it was reflected in the Sakal exit poll too. Voting took place in Maharashtra between April 11 and 29 in four phases. In the first phase, voting took place in Vidarbha for seven constituencies. The second phase took place in Vidarbha, Marathwada and South Maharashtra for 10 constituencies. Third phase saw voting in Khandesh, North Marathwada and Western Maharashtra for 14 constituencies and the fourth phase included North Mumbai, South Mumbai and Thane at 17 constituencies. 

PM Narendra Modi conducted only nine public rallies in Maharashtra. His rallies at Wardha saw huge turnout of people for the rally, asking for votes in the name of Army soldiers at Latur, Mohite Patil and Vikhe Patil’s entry into BJP at Madha and Ahmednagar were mired with controversies. Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray was present for his rally at Mumbai. 

In comparison, Congress President Rahul Gandhi handed over the reins of public rallies to NCP chief Sharad Pawar. Besides rallies at Wardha, Nanded  and Sangamner, Rahul interacted with students in Pune.