Polling begins in Maharashtra; voting underway for 38 seats in Jharkhand's 2nd phase
Polling began on Wednesday for the Maharashtra assembly elections, where the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is vying to retain power, and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) combine is hoping for a strong comeback. Simultaneously, the second and final phase of polling commenced for 38 assembly seats in Jharkhand, amid tight security arrangements.
In Maharashtra, voting began at 7 am across all 288 assembly seats and will end at 6 pm, while in Jharkhand, voting started at 7 am in 14,218 booths across 12 districts, with polling in 31 booths concluding at 4 pm. The votes in both states will be counted on November 23.
Over 9.7 crore voters in Maharashtra are choosing from among 4,136 candidates, while in Jharkhand, 1.23 crore voters, including 60.79 lakh women and 147 third-gender electors, are deciding the fate of 528 candidates.
In Maharashtra, the BJP is contesting 149 seats in the Mahayuti alliance, Shiv Sena is in the fray in 81 seats, and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP has fielded candidates in 59 constituencies. The MVA combine has the Congress contesting 101 seats, Shiv Sena (UBT) in 95, and NCP (SP) in 86 constituencies. Smaller parties like the Bahujan Samaj Party and AIMIM are also contesting, with BSP fielding 237 candidates and AIMIM 17.
In Jharkhand, prominent candidates include Chief Minister and JMM leader Hemant Soren, his wife Kalpana Soren, and BJP Leader of Opposition Amar Kumar Bauri. The ruling JMM-led INDIA bloc is seeking to retain power, while the BJP-headed National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is trying to wrest control.
In Maharashtra, the election campaign saw major leaders, including Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, canvassing. The BJP’s slogans, such as "Batenge toh katenge" and "Ek hai toh safe hai," drew criticism from the MVA for allegedly polarizing voters. Ajit Pawar distanced himself from these slogans, while Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis sought to clarify their meaning, causing further confusion.
The MVA countered the ruling alliance by focusing on caste-based census, social justice, and protecting the Constitution, while the BJP launched an ad campaign attacking the MVA and urging people to "Say No to Congress," highlighting incidents like the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and the Palghar lynching.
In Jharkhand, Prime Minister Modi took to X, urging voters to participate enthusiastically, particularly first-time voters. Eighteen of the 38 constituencies are in the Santhal Pargana region, with the remaining in North and South Chotanagpur divisions.
In Maharashtra, there are 1,00,186 polling booths, compared to 96,654 in 2019, to accommodate the rise in voters. About six lakh state government employees are on election duty. Since the code of conduct came into force on October 15, cash and items worth Rs 252.42 crore have been seized, including Rs 63.47 crore cash, 34.89 lakh litres of liquor worth Rs 33.73 crore, and drugs valued at Rs 32.67 crore.
With voting underway, both states await November 23 to determine their political future.
