First-timer JJP could end up kingmaker in Haryana.
The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance is on course to retain power in Maharashtra with a strong showing in the 2019 assembly election. However, the BJP could be faced with a tough post-poll act in Haryana, where the race could end as a hung verdict.
The BJP and Shiv Sena are on track to form an alliance government in Maharashtra, which would be a success for the BJP's mission on keeping the Shiv Sena in its fold. The two parties had fallen out and contested the 2014 elections separately, only to come together to form the government. However, the Shiv Sena remained a cantankerous ally, often coming across as the real opposition party in Maharashtra.
Official trends of the counting around midday showed the BJP leading in 101 seats and Shiv Sena ahead in 64 in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly. That puts it comfortably in line to form the next government, not counting the other smaller NDA allies. The opposition camp saw the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) lead in 50 seats and the Congress in 40.
The story in Haryana, however, seems a bit more fraught for the BJP, which was expected to improve on its performance in the 2014 election. However, official trends showed the ruling party leading in 38 seats. That is eight seats short of the halfway mark in the 90-member Haryana Assembly.
The Congress led in 29 seats, while first-timer Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) led by Dushyant Chautala was ahead in 11 constituencies. The contest for Haryana is tightly locked and will result in a hung Assembly if the mid-day trends hold.
This presents the JJP with an opportunity to establish itself strongly as a kingmaker, if the need for post-poll negotiations arises. The new party has not yet outlined how it perceives alliances with either the BJP or the Congress. The JJP, a breakaway faction of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), has performed better than its parent party, which was leading in only two constituencies.
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