Maharashtra set to vote in a single phase

Polling will be held for 288 Assembly seats in Maharashtra and for 38 seats in the second phase in Jharkhand; votes to be counted on November 23; enforcement agencies seize cash, liquor, drugs, freebies, and other inducements to the tune of over ₹1,000 crore

The Assembly elections in 288 constituencies across Maharashtra and for 38 seats in the final phase in Jharkhand will be held on Wednesday.

Votes will be counted on November 23.

Full coverage | Maharashtra Assembly elections

In Maharashtra where the Mahayuti alliance aims to retain power, the BJP is contesting 149 seats, the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena 81, and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party faction 59. On the Opposition side, the Congress has fielded 101 candidates, the Shiv Sena (UBT) 95, and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP 86. The BSP is contesting 237 and AIMIM 17 seats.

According to the Election Commission, Maharashtra had 9.7 crore registered voters, including 5 crore men, 4.69 crore women, and 6,101 transgender voters as on October 30. Among them, 6.41 lakh are Persons with Disabilities (PwD), and 1.16 lakh are service voters from the armed forces. Given the expanded voters’ list, over one lakh polling stations, up from 96,654 in 2019, have been set up.

₹252.42 crore worth seizures in Maharashtra

In the run-up to the Maharashtra election, the enforcement agencies seized cash and goods worth ₹252.42 crore since the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into effect on October 15. This includes ₹63.47 crore in cash, 34.89 lakh litres of liquor worth ₹33.73 crore, and drugs valued at ₹32.67 crore. Precious metals worth ₹83.12 crore, jewellery worth ₹2.79 crore, and other items worth ₹36.62 crore have also been confiscated. Besides, 2,469 complaints of MCC violations were received via the C-Vigil app, with a resolution rate of 99.31%, the officials said.

The election campaign was marked by heated exchanges on a range of issues, with leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, and senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, addressing rallies across Maharashtra. The BJP’s campaign slogans, such as “Batenge toh katenge” (divided we perish) and “Ek hain toh safe hai” (united we are safe), drew sharp criticism from the Opposition parties, which accused the BJP of fomenting communal polarisation.

In Jharkhand where the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led coalition is eyeing a repeat, the BJP is contesting 32 seats and the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) six seats, whereas in the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance bloc, the JMM has fielded 20 candidates, the Congress 13, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) four and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) two candidates.

Full coverage | Jharkhand Assembly elections

The JMM and the CPI(ML) will have a “friendly” contest in the Dhanwar Assembly constituency, while the Congress and the RJD will have a “friendly” fight in Chattarpur and Bishrampur constituencies.

Of the 38 seats going to polls in the second and final phase, 27 are general category seats, three are reserved for Scheduled Castes and eight for Scheduled Tribes. About 1.23 crore voters are listed in the electoral rolls for this phase. The first phase held on November 13 covered 43 constituencies.

Among the prominent candidates are Chief Minister Hemant Soren (Barhait constituency), his wife Kalpana Soren (Gandey), his brother Basant Soren (Dumka), BJP State president Babulal Marandi (Dhanwar), Leader of the Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly Amar Kumar Bauri (Chandankiyari), Shibu Soren’s daughter-in-law Sita Soren (Jamtara) and the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) chief Sudhesh Mahato (Silli).

On Monday, the Election Commission said the enforcement agencies had seized cash, liquor, drugs, freebies, and other inducements amounting to over ₹1,000 crore in connection with the ongoing Assembly elections in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and bypolls.

Bypolls to the Nanded Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra, one Assembly constituency in Kerala, four seats in Punjab, nine in Uttar Pradesh and one in Uttarakhand will also be held on Wednesday.

Over 14,000 booths in Jharkhand

Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer K. Ravi Kumar said the second phase of voting will be held at 14,218 booths. “Of these, voting will be held from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 31 booths. Till now, 90 cases of alleged MCC violation has been registered so far and illegal articles and cash worth over ₹200 crore seized.

As directed by the Election Commission, the Central Armed Police Forces have been deployed to assist the local police in ensuring the conduct of elections in a free and fair manner. Comprehensive instructions have been given to the officials concerned.

Published - November 19, 2024 11:05 pm IST