Maharashtra Election Result updates: Fadnavis leads in Nagpur South West

Good morning! Hello and welcome to Moneycontrol's LIVE coverage of the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections.

This LIVE blog will bring you the latest updates as votes are counted throughout the state and the results are declared.

Counting of votes will begin at 8.00 am across Maharashtra. Just like the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the final results are expected to be slightly delayed as match of VVPAT slips would take time.

However, with known leads by around 11.00 am, the result is likely to be clear by early afternoon.

Voter turnout for the Legislative Assembly election on October 21 (Monday) was recorded 61.1 percent, according to the Election Commission of India (EC).

This was lower than the 63.1 percent turnout recorded in 2014.

In Mumbai too, voting percentage was recorded at 50.5 percent, against the 51.2 percent in 2014 polls.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is hoping to retain power in the heavily-industrialised state, along with its traditional ally - the Shiv Sena.

This National Democratic Alliance (NDA), locally known as 'Maha-Yuti', has been being challenged by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) that mainly comprises the Congress and Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

The Congress-NCP alliance is locally known as 'Maha-Aghadi'. Congress is being led by its Interim President Sonia Gandhi. Both alliances include other smaller partners.

Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Prakash Ambedkar's Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM are also in fray.

During the campaign Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP National President Amit Shah, among other BJP leaders had held rallies extensively in the state.