NDTV's Battleground: Why Maharashtra's Verdict Will Be Unpredictable

The battle for Maharashtra will not be simple and the state, with the largest number of seats after Uttar Pradesh, will definitely play a key role in who controls Delhi. In all the elections except the ones of 1977 and 1989, the party that has won more seats in Maharashtra went on to form the government at the Centre. Maharashtra has 48 seats and it is tough to say which way the state would go, concluded a panel of experts at NDTV this evening. The factors that are expected to affect the election in the state are multiple including caste, the swing of the minority vote and the unrest among farmers, the panelists said. But at this point, it would also depend on what the BJP and the Opposition choose to focus on.