With a 96.42 percentile and an OBC-NCL rank of 16,443 in JEE Mains 2024, you have a fair chance of securing Mechanical Engineering in good NITs or state engineering colleges, though top NITs might be competitive. Keep an eye on the counseling rounds, as seat availability and cutoffs can vary. You may have a higher chance in newer NITs or state-level institutes, where cutoffs might align better with your rank.