Mahayuti seizes a Maha mandate, Soren keeps his Jharkhand crown

Maharashtra's ruling alliance sweeps polls with unprecedented tallies for all 3 partners. Voters galvanised by PM Modi's 'Ek hain toh safe hain' pitch, state govt's big welfare push. Soren leads INDIA bloc to resounding victory as J'khand tribal leader's emotional appeal works. BJP gains upper hand in UP bypolls; AAP reigns in Punjab; Priyanka to make Parliament debut.

- Dhrubo Jyoti

A three-party alliance led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept Maharashtra in a record-busting victory and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) propelled the INDIA bloc to an unprecedented second consecutive term in Jharkhand, bringing the curtain down on the final round of elections this year and setting the stage for renewed churn in national politics.

The Mahayuti secured a three-fourths majority in India's second most populous province on the back of a clinical campaign that plugged the lacunae of its Lok Sabha drubbing, and built a new pan-state coalition with women-focussed welfare promises, Hindutva consolidation, and smart alliance management. Stellar performances by the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) also sealed a fractious debate on the legacy of these two regional stalwarts.

In contrast, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) failed to capitalise on the momentum of its Lok Sabha performance as it struggled to cross even the 50-seat mark in an assembly of 288. The Congress and its alliance partners Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) were decimated across the state as senior leaders were trounced on the back of a listless campaign that failed to read the changing mood on the ns ground.

In the east, JMM leader Hemant Soren crafted a personalised campaign based on his tribal identity to rout the Opposition and win a near-two-thirds majority for the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) in the mineral-rich state. Soren, who was jailed for around five months earlier this year on corruption charges, bridged the tribal vs non-tribal fault line in the state with a welfare formula of his own, mixed with tribal pride and a sympathy wave.

The decisive victories by the incumbents in both states underlined the continued importance of welfare, and the growing role of the women and the swing voter.