Maharashtra polls: Voter enthusiasm missing in action as state records low turnout

The state's highest turnout was in 1995, when 71.6 per cent of voters cast their ballots, while the lowest was in 1980, at 53.3 per cent. 

In Short

• Maharashtra polls saw 58.22% voter turnout, lowest in Kalyan West.
• 4,136 candidates contested for 288 seats in Maharashtra
• Jharkhand's second phase had 67.59% turnout, higher than Maharashtra

Assembly elections in 2024 concluded in 288 constituencies in Maharashtra with a fairly low voter turnout. The overall voter turnout in the state remained 58.22 per cent as of 5 pm on November 20, according to the Election Commission of India. The highest turnout (74.82 per cent) was recorded in Chimur, while the lowest (41 per cent) was in Kalyan West. At the district level, the overall turnout in Mumbai city remained at 49.1 per cent while that in Pune was 54.1 per cent, according to the provisional data.

Sitting Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s constituency Kopri Pachpakhadi recorded 55.77 per cent voter turnout, while Devendra Fadnavis’s constituency Nagpur South West recorded 51.54 per cent participation. The turnout in Ajit Pawar’s Baramati constituency was 62.31 per cent while that in Nana Patole’s Sakoli constituency was 67.21 per cent. Amongst the five key constituencies, voter turnout remained at 60.3 per cent in Nitesh Rane’s Kankavali.

The state’s highest turnout was in 1995, when 71.6 per cent of voters cast their ballots, while the lowest was in 1980, at 53.3 per cent.

The Maharashtra elections in 2024 saw a massive 4,136 candidates vying for 288 seats, with independents making up nearly half the field at 2,086 contenders. Two main alliances dominated the polls. In the Mahayuti, the Bharatiya Janata Party contested the lion’s share with 149 seats, followed by the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) in 81 constituencies and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party in 59. In the Maha Vikas Aghadi, the Congress fielded 101 candidates, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) contested 95 seats, and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP propped 86 contenders.

JHARKHAND POLLS

Meanwhile, voter turnout in the second phase of the Jharkhand Assembly elections was much better than in Maharashtra. The overall turnout remained at 67.59 per cent in 38 Assembly constituencies.

The highest turnout of 79.4 per cent was recorded in the Maheshpur constituency and the lowest (50.52 per cent) was recorded in Bokaro. On a district level, Jamtara witnessed the highest turnout of 76.16 per cent in this phase.