The BJP and Shiv Sena got nearly 160 in the 288-seat Maharashtra Assembly. The BJP's performance was much muted compared to that in 2014. Leads show the BJP was ahead in approximately 100 seats, way below the 122 it got in 2014. The Sena was ahead in 64, one more than the 63 it got last term when it contested all 288 seats on its own.

The Shiv Sena has pounced on this opportunity to demand a ’50:50 formula’ deal with the BJP. Leader Sanjay Raut said the combine would definitely form the government, but would want a '50:50' arrangement in power.

The Congress-Nationalist Congress Party combine were ahead in nearly 100 seats, having gained more than 17 since last time. The NCP has emerged the big brother in the alliance.

In Haryana, the BJP's tally has fallen short of the magic figure of 46 in the 90-seat Assembly. State BJP chief Subhash Barnala offered to resign after the party tally got stuck to 39.

The Congress has managed 32 so far, up 17 seats since last time.

Dushyant Chautala’s Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) is emerging the kingmaker (10 seats) in case there is a hung Assembly. It is learnt the Congress has already reached out to Chautala to form an alliance. The Congress, which ran a feeble campaign and was wracked by infighting, has done far better than predicted.

“The way these trends are showing, it is clear people voted for change,” Mr Chautala told NDTV, adding, “The keys to the next government will be in the hands of the JJP.”

Dushyant Chautala was, however, noncommittal on whether his party would support the BJP or the Congress in forming a government in case of a hung Assembly.

In Maharashtra these polls, the BJP contested 150 seats, the Shiv Sena 124 and the rest went to smaller parties. Last term, the two parties had contested the polls separately and none won the majority. They stitched a post-result alliance and had a roller-coaster relationship for the next five years.

This year, the Sena may have been offered less seats than the 50-50 divide it had wanted, but it is understood it will get the deputy chief minister's post to Devendra Fadnavis. That person may be Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aaditya, who is the first in the family to jump into electoral politics after his grandfather Bal Thackeray set up the party in 1966.

Bypolls are also being held in 51 Assembly seats in 17 states and a Union Territory. Eleven of these seats are in Uttar Pradesh, six seats in Gujarat, Bihar (5 seats), Assam and Punjab (4 seats each), Kerala (5 seats), Sikkim (3 seats), Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu (2 seats each) and one seat each in Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Puducherry, Meghalaya and Telangana.

Two Lok Sabha seats are also in the fray.