Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party is headed for a victory in state elections in politically significant Maharashtra while the opposition won mineral-rich Jharkhand state

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling alliance is leading in polls in Maharashtra by a wide margin, signaling policy continuity in a state which houses most of India’s billionaires and is home to some of the country’s biggest investments.

Abu Asim Azmi of the Samajwadi Party (SP) polled 54,780 votes to win the Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar seat by a margin of 12,753 votes against his nearest rival, Ateeque Ahmad Khan of the AIMIM.

"Development won, negative politics lost," says PM Modi on NDA's landslide victory in Maharashtra

Meanwhile, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader and CM Hemant Soren said his coalition had passed the ‘exam of democracy’ in the state.

Undeniably, Modi's position has stabilised and he has staged a comeback of sorts from the weeks after the Lok Sabha results.' 'Coalition partners are likely to be more tolerant of Modi... The forthcoming elections in Delhi and Bihar will determine whether this continues or not.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday celebrated the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) resounding victory in Maharashtra, calling it a "Maha Vijay" (great victory) that marked the triumph of positive politics and governance over negative and family-centric politics.