What will happen now in the politics of Maharashtra and the country? Though the exit polls have failed several times, there is no reason to claim that the exit polls in Maharashtra will fail to predict the correct outcome. Though the picture will be clear only after the votes are counted and the results are declared, the exit polls can be analysed in their way.

If the exit polls are to be believed, the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition has emerged as a winner in the assembly elections held on November 20.  The political analysts believe it may have far-reaching consequences. Suppose the Congress-led coalition Maha Vikas Aghadi loses the election, as predicted by most of the exit polls. In that case, the grand old party will have another jolt after the humiliation in the Haryana Assembly Election held in October.

With this electoral loss, Congress will lose its political weight and the bargaining capacity at the all-India level. The Mallikarjun Kharge-led party has received one after the other shocks after the Lok Sabha Election 2024 when it only increased its number of seats, it also succeeded in pushing the BJP to a corner, where the saffron party failed to get a majority on its own.

The euphoria raised over the defeat of the saffron party in the General Election lost its pace when the BJP recorded a clear majority in Haryana while the Congress suffered miserably.

Though the abrogation of Article 370 failed to make any electoral difference and the saffron party could not reap the harvest, it performed well in the Jammu region. No one expected the BJP to win or form a government with the help of any other party in Jammu and Kashmir, so its loss in the valley did not come as a shocker.

Had the Congress won the Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024, it would have consolidated its position as a party that could boast of not only taking on the saffron party but also beating it on its terms.

Congress not only opposed the narrative of Hindutva and attacked the politics of polarization with the slogan of “batenge toh katenge”, but also maintained its own politics of inclusiveness and diversity. Congress joined hands with Shiv Sena (UBT), which has diluted its politics of aggressive Hindutva.

The party that was once known for aggressive Hindutva under the leadership of Bala Saheb Thackeray, reached out to the Muslim community before the polls. Uddhava Thackeray told the Muslims that he would ask for votes for creating employment opportunities, development, and economic upliftment. He emphasised that he was not deviating from Hindutva.

Thackeray was given a copy of the Quran in the Marathi language when he visited a Muslim-dominated area. It is not clear if the Muslims have voted for his party, but it is clear that he has diluted his brand of aggressive politics and taken a new path.

Shiv Sena stuck to its politics of Maratha pride and wanted to create hype on this subject. Political analysts believe there may be a consolidation of non-Maratha voters who might have voted to break the Maratha hegemony.

Earlier, when Congress lost the Haryana Assembly Elections 2024, it was believed that it was the result of non-Jat consolidation as the grand old party emphasized attracting this community and worked hard to lure them.

As former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda dominated the Congress election machinery and was given a clear mandate to do whatever he thought fit, other communities particularly the Dalits voted against the party.

Political analysts believe, Maharashtra too has witnessed a similar consolidation against the dominating community of Maratha.

The votes are yet to be counted, the results are yet to be declared, and the credibility of exit polls has not been beyond doubt. However, if predictions come true, Congress will sink further down.