LIVE: Maharashtra election on Nov 20; Jharkhand on Nov 13, 20; result on Nov 23

Polls should have been announced earlier, less time for campaign: Maharashtra Oppn parties

The Opposition in Maharashtra on Tuesday said the 35-day period during which the assembly elections process will take place is shorter than usual while the poll body gave enough time to the government to announce a slew of schemes.

It also pointed out that elections to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly, the second largest after Uttar Pradesh (403), will be held in a single phase on November 20, even though this year's Lok Sabha elections were held in five phases in the state.

Counting of votes will take place on November 23, the Election Commission announced earlier on Tuesday.

Leader of Opposition in the outgoing assembly and Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said, "The ECI generally gives a minimum of 40 days for the political parties to finalise their candidates, for submission of nominations, and the campaign. But this time it is 35 days, which is unusual and which gives us less time to campaign as well. It could be a part of some plan to give the Opposition little time," he claimed, adding that the Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP government has rampantly announced schemes in the run-up to the elections without any application of mind and it will hit the state coffers.

Jayant Patil, state president of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), said, "The ECI held Lok Sabha elections in five stages in Maharashtra, but it has now decided to hold elections for the assembly in one stage. It is good that the NDA government in Maharashtra will lose at one stroke." The announcement of the assembly elections should have been made earlier, but the state government was given enough time to announce more and more welfare schemes and sanction development works, he claimed.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said, "Compared to the Lok Sabha, the performance of the MVA which is part of the INDIA bloc will be better. There is no need to worry about the seat-sharing formula." He also claimed that the questions raised by several Opposition parties over the possible misuse of EVMs were not properly addressed by the EC officials. 

Why can't EC conduct polls in 5 states together? asks Congress leader Danish Ali

On one side 'One Nation, One Election' is being promoted and on the other hand the ECI is not able to conduct the elections in 5 states together...Are they afraid that Priyanka Gandhi will enter the House early: Congress leader Kunwar Danish Ali

Siddaramaiah: Ready to face Assembly bypolls

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the ruling Congress is ready to face the by-elections in Channapatna, Shiggaon and Sandur Assembly constituencies.

The Election Commission announced that the by-elections would be held in the three segments on November 13. "We are ready to face the by-elections and have made all the preparations. We will contest it," Siddaramaiah told reporters here.

The by-polls in Channapatna, Shiggaon, and Sandur were due after H D Kumaraswamy (JD(S)), Basavaraj Bommai (BJP) and E Tukaram (Congress) resigned following their victory in the Lok Sabha elections in May this year. 

CEC Rajiv Kumar: EVMs can't be wrong only because results are not to your liking

It is absolutely safe and robust. Look at the last 15-20 elections. It is giving results after results differently. It can't be that it is wrong only the results are not to your liking: CEC Rajiv Kumar on voting through EVMs

Arjun Munda: Countdown on current govt begins

"Today, Election Commission has announced the results. With this, the countdown of current government begins. Current government has failed on all fronts...Development work is halted in the state. Rape cases have increased," says former chief minister and BJP leader Arjun Munda.