New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS): The BJP-led NDA was on Monday predicted to retain power in Maharashtra with a huge majority, with IANS-C-Voter Exit Poll giving it between 192 and 216 seats in the 288-member Assembly.

The BJP-Shiv Sena combine had bagged 185 seats in the last Assembly elections held in 2014, after which a government headed by Devendra Fadnavis was formed.

According to the exit poll, the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party combine seemed to be way behind with 55-81 seats. In the last Assembly elections, the Congress-NCP-Maharashtra Navnirman Sena coalition had bagged 84 seats.

In the elections held on Monday, the vote share of the NDA seems to have suffered a slight dip. It is predicted to get 46.4 per cent of votes, whereas it had got 47.2 per cent last time.

The UPA is predicted to get 36.9 per cent of votes, which is a dip from the 38.3 per cent it managed last time.

Region wise, the NDA seems to be getting the maximum of 47-51 seats in Vidarbha and the lowest of 21-25 seats in North Maharashtra. The Mumbai region appears to be giving the ruling coalition 29-33 seats, Konkan 30-34 seats, Marathvada 25-29 seats and West Maharashtra 40-44 seats.

In terms of vote share, the BJP-led coalition seems to be getting 55.3 per cent in Mumbai, 49.1 in Konkan, 48.3 per cent in North Maharashtra, 44.6 per cent in Vidarbha, 44.5 per cent in West Maharashtra and 42.4 per cent in Marathvada.

The UPA is predicted to bag 25 seats in the West Maharashtra region, 14 in Marathvada, 13 in North Maharashtra, 8 in Vidarbha, 5 in Konkan and the least 4 in Mumbai.

In terms of vote share, the UPA appeared to have got the maximum of 42.4 per cent in Marathvada, followed by 41.7 per cent in North Maharashtra, 41.5 per cent in West Maharashtra, 33.7 per cent in Vidarbha, 28.5 per cent in Konkan and 27.2 per cent in Mumbai.

The sample size in Maharashtra at the time of making the report was 55,553.

In the run-up to the elections, the BJP had made a big pitch about revoking Article 370 which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, while the Opposition Congress-NCP combine was focusing on economic slowdown, job losses and agrarian crisis.