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States like Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha could see as many as 10 to 11 heatwave days, Mr Mohapatra said.

"I just hope that this time my son comes back safe. I will never send him away to earn again," said Rampratap Sahu, a resident of Jharkhand state.

The BJP, however, is staring at a defeat in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, where main opposition Congress and its allies are on course to win.

Meanwhile, Jharkhand, where seven chief ministers have ruled since the state's formation in 2000, has also witnessed political upheaval in recent months after its chief minister Hemant Soren was arrested in February on corruption charges, which he denied.

Like Maharashtra, Jharkhand also saw parties promising cash incentives, free power, jobs and health insurance.