BJP-Sena Alliance Sails Through Maharashtra Polls, But With Dip In Score

The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance managed to retain power in Maharashtra, winning 159 seats and leading in another two as the vote-counting process for the October 21 assembly polls continued late into Thursday night. However, opposition parties were quick to point out that this was a marked drop from the 185 seats it had polled in the previous assembly election. The Congress-NCP combine managed to win 96 seats and gather leads in another two seats, an improvement of 15 seats from their 2014 tally. Addressing a rally in New Delhi, BJP president Amit Shah complimented supporters over the party scoring a "full majority" in the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived at the event flashing the victory sign, said that Devendra Fadnavis should be appreciated for not only becoming the first Chief Minister of Maharashtra to serve the full five-year term but also returning with a sizeable mandat