The counterblow before the elections seems to have been tuned minds to the BJP as exit polls have placed the party in the driving seat to clinch a majority.
Four various exit poll results gave BJP the upper hand in Maharashtra. Meanwhile, in Haryana, the party lagged in terms of the majority required.
While exit poll firm Chanakya gave indications of BJP forming the government solely in Maharashtra favoring 151 seats of 288, Cicero reasserted the lead with 124 seats, but by falling short of the majority required for forming the government.
AC Nielsen and Cvoter gave figures of 127 and 129 respectively.
Standing behind BJP were Shiv Sena, who have managed to raise their share from the previous elections. Numbers cornered around 60s and 70s for Shiv Sena, while Congress and NCP, allied parties who have been forming the government for previous 15 years, experienced a severe blow with the most they could obtain from the exit poll being around 40 seats.
The scenario gets even more solidified in Haryana were two out of the three exit polls favored BJP to form the government with a majority.
While Chanakya and ACNielsen predict BJP to emerge favorites on 52 and 54 constituencies respectively, CVoter placed BJP on top, however with 45 seats. INLD, led by Om Prakash Chautala were listed out to be the second favorites while Congress was pushed down to third with 10-15 seats in their favor.
The election which saw the splitting up of long-term allies to enter the foray as independent parties has been cited as a turning point for the politics in Maharashtra. BJP election campaign revolved entirely around PM Narendra Modi with an emphasis on governance issues.
The counting of votes will be carried on October 19 and in the case of results sticking with that of exit polls, Congress and NCP, who split to stand alone in elections, would be hit with the major setback.
Sena, who left the alliance with BJP, can also be expected to have a share of aftermath, despite their improvement.