Elections LIVE | 58% turnout in Maharashtra, 67% in Jharkhand till 5 pm
In Maharashtra, the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is vying to retain power and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) combine is hoping for a strong comeback
Maharashtra recorded 58.22 per cent polling, while Jharkhand, in the second phase of polls, registered 67.59 per cent voter turnout till 5 pm on Wednesday (November 20) as the voting began in the two states at 7 in the morning.
Maharashtra, the richest state in India, is voting in a single phase for all 288 members of the legislative assembly. Jharkhand is witnessing polling for the remaining 38 seats, as voting for 43 constituencies took place in the first phase on November 13, recording a 64.86 per cent voter turnout.
Along with the legislative Assembly elections in these two states, bypolls for 15 Assembly seats across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, and Uttarakhand are also being conducted on Wednesday.
Also read: Maharashtra, Jharkhand brace for high-stakes elections: It's a neck and neck contest in both states
Mahayuti vs MVA in Maharashtra
In Maharashtra, the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is vying to retain power and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) combine is hoping for a strong comeback.
The election will determine whether the Mahayuti can reverse the massive losses it suffered during the recent Lok Sabha elections. In the Lok Sabha polls, the MVA won 30 of the 48 seats in the state and the Mahayuti just 17.
It will also be virtually a do-or-die battle for the rival factions of the Shiv Sena and the NCP as these are the first Assembly elections after two regional forces split up. The poll outcome will decided the political future of top leaders like Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde.
These elections will also have an impact on the national politics as a triumph for the Mahayuti will give a big boost to the NDA government at the Centre, while a victory for the MVA will bring back the INDIA bloc in the contention after the drubbing in Haryana Assembly elections.
Also read: Maharashtra polls | Race for CM's post hots up as both MVA, Mahayuti keep people guessing
BJP aiming to wrest Jharkhand
In Jharkhand, the JMM-Congress-RJD coalition is seeking to retain power in Jharkhand, while the BJP-headed NDA will try to wrest it.
This phase will decide the electoral fate of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, his wife Kalpana Soren (both JMM), and Leader of Opposition Amar Kumar Bauri (BJP) besides more than 500 other candidates who are contesting in 38 of the total 81 assembly seats.
Polling began at 7 am in 14,218 polling stations and will continue till 5 pm barring 31 booths where it will end at 4 pm. The first phase of the elections was held on November 13.
Besides CM Soren and his wife, prominent among the candidates in this round include state BJP president and ex-CM Babulal Marandi, Assembly Speaker Ravindra Nath Mahto (JMM) and BJP ally AJSU Party chief Sudesh Mahto.
(With agency inputs)
Live Updates
- 20 Nov 2024 6:36 PM IST
Turnout in Maharashtra and Jharkhand till 5pm
Till 5 pm, Jharkhand (phase-II) and Maharashtra recorded 67.59% and 58.22% voter turnout respectively, as per Election Commission of India. - 20 Nov 2024 5:55 PM IST
Jharkhand polls: Presiding officer replaced on charge of favouring candidate
Jharkhand BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has filed a complaint with the Election Commission against a presiding officer for allegedly “favouring a ruling party candidate” in Madhupur Assembly constituency during voting.
Dubey claimed that following his complaint, the officer was arrested.
“I filed a complaint with the Election Commission against the presiding officer at booth number 111 in Madhupur, Deoghar district, for favouring Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) candidate and Minister Hafizul Hassan. The commission took my complaint seriously and arrested the officer,” Dubey told reporters in Deoghar.
However, the Deoghar administration said the officer, identified as Ramanand Kumar Paswan, was replaced after being found too close to the voting compartment, which is against Election Commission rules.
An official statement from Deoghar administration clarified that the presiding officer at booth number 111 had been replaced. The returning officer has been instructed to conduct a thorough investigation and take legal action, if necessary, it added.
Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Neha Arora said an FIR has been lodged against the presiding officer.
Deoghar SP Ambar Lakra said, “A probe has been initiated in this regard and action will be based on the investigation report,” Lakra told PTI.
The JMM alleged that the officer was removed following a baseless complaint.
Meanwhile, the presiding officer Pramod Kumar at booth number 338 in Gandey assembly constituency was replaced and an FIR was lodged against him for violating secrecy to vote, Arora said.
Kalpana Soren, wife of chief minister Hemant Soren, is contesting from Gandey assembly seat, while BJP has fielded Muniya Devi from the constituency.
- 20 Nov 2024 5:16 PM IST
UP bypolls: BJP, SP bicker over claims of manipulation, hooliganism
A fierce political faceoff erupted Wednesday between the ruling BJP and main opposition Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh amid the ongoing by-elections to nine assembly seats with both parties accusing each other of foul play.
While the SP alleged the BJP was manipulating the electoral process and questioning the role of the Election Commission, the BJP claimed SP workers are engaging in hooliganism and bogus voting with women and men donning burqa.
At a presser in Lucknow, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP of misusing the administrative machinery to secure a win in the bypolls “through manipulation”.
Yadav claimed his party had lodged complaints with the Election Commission (EC) regarding “irregularities” in multiple constituencies, including Karhal, Sisamau, Meerapur, Kundarki, Phulpur, and Majhawan.
Despite these complaints, Yadav alleged that the EC was turning a blind eye to the issues.
“The BJP wants to win these bypolls not through votes, but through manipulation,” the former chief minister claimed and added that the ruling party was “pressuring the administration to act unfairly” and prevent opposition supporters from voting.
“I urge voters to go to polling booths... and stay there until they have cast their vote. This is a right granted to us, and everyone must exercise it,” he added.
Yadav further slammed the BJP over “violation” of the EC’s guidelines on checking voter IDs and for obstructing people from casting their ballots.
Earlier in the day, the EC ordered the suspension of police personnel found violating these guidelines after Yadav presented video evidence showing voters being harassed and blocked from voting.
Yadav alleged that the BJP was preventing many people who intended to vote for opposition parties from casting their ballots to make up for a lack of enthusiasm among their own supporters.
In a counterattack, BJP’s Uttar Pradesh unit president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary accused Samajwadi Party workers of engaging in hooliganism during the by-elections.
He claimed that SP supporters were attempting to influence the polls by bringing in outsiders and anti-social elements, alleging that women wearing burqas were participating in bogus voting.
“The red-capped goons of Akhilesh Yadav, who gave the slogan of ‘PDA’ (pichhde, Dalit, and alpsankhyak), are trying to spread terror,” Chaudhary charged during a presser in Lucknow.
Chaudhary also slammed the SP for demanding that police not check voters’ identification cards, accusing them of using fake IDs to manipulate the election process.
“Fake voting has become the trademark of the Samajwadi Party,” he stated, emphasizing the importance of ID checks to maintain the transparency of the elections.
According to EC data, a voter turnout of nearly 42 per cent was recorded by 3 pm across the nine seats, with polling scheduled to close at 5 pm.
