Election 2024 Live: Police personnel guard people queuing up to vote in the Maharashtra Assembly elections at a polling station in Nagpur on Wednesday.
2024 Election Live: Voting is underway in Maharashtra and Jharkhand ahead of assembly polls on Wednesday, November 20. In Maharashtra, elections are being held in a single phase for all 288 seats in the Legislative Assembly. However, in Jharkhand, voting was held in 43 constituencies on November 13, with voting for the remaining 38 seats, recording a turnout of 64.86 per cent.…read more
Follow live updates of Maharashtra exit polls
In addition to the assembly elections in these two states, by-polls for 15 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala and Uttarakhand will also be held on Wednesday.
Voting in all 288 constituencies in Maharashtra began at 7 am and ended at 6 pm. There are a total of 96,485,765 registered voters in Maharashtra, including 1,16,355 service voters. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has set up 1,00,186 polling stations in the state.
Follow the latest information on exit polls here
The political landscape in Maharashtra has seen significant changes since the last assembly elections. The BJP and Shiv Sena, once allies, were at odds with the Congress and the NCP led by Sharad Pawar. However, disagreements over the role of the chief minister ended the alliance between the BJP and Shiv Sena, giving rise to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance of Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena.
However, in Jharkhand, voting began at 7 am at 14,218 polling stations and continued till 5 pm except in 31 polling stations which ended at 4 pm.
Follow all live updates on Maharashtra polls here
The state election is a fierce battle between the ruling JMM-led Indian Bloc and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
Election officials in all states have been directed to ensure that all necessary arrangements are in place to facilitate voters. This includes ensuring that the roads leading to polling stations are in good condition and accessible, and that these buildings are equipped with the minimum necessary facilities to provide a smooth voting experience.
Key details of the elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand:
- While the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is trying to retain power, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance is working to regain control of Maharashtra.
- There are 4,136 candidates, including 2,086 independents, in the Maharashtra elections. Within the Mahayuti alliance, the BJP is contesting 149 seats, the Shiv Sena is contesting 81 seats, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP has fielded candidates in 59 constituencies.
- In the Maha Vikas Aghadi Party (MVA), the Congress fielded 101 candidates, the Shiv Sena Party (UBT) 95 and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) 86 candidates. The Bahujan Samaj Party has nominated 237 candidates, while the All India Majlis Ittehad Party has recommended 237 candidates. -U-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) is contesting 17 seats in the 288-member parliament.
- Of the 38 voting constituencies, 18 are located in the important Santal Paragana region, which spans six constituencies. The NDA, through its campaign, has raised concerns over large-scale infiltration in the region during the five-year tenure of the JMM-led government.
- Prominent candidates for the Jharkhand elections include JMM chief minister Hemant Soren, his wife Kalpana Soren and sister-in-law Sita Soren. The BJP has fielded several key figures, including state president and former chief minister Babulal Marandi.
- By-elections will be held in nine constituencies in Uttar Pradesh including Katehari, Kharhar, Meerapur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, Sisamau, Khair, Phulpur and Kundalki. A total of 90 candidates are in the fray, with 14 from Ghaziabad being the most. These polls will be the first electoral test for both the Indian bloc and the NDA in the politically important state since the Lok Sabha elections.
