LIVE | Maharashtra records 18.14% voter turnout, Jharkhand 31.37% till 11 am
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 18.14 per cent polling, while Jharkhand, in the second phase of polls, registered 31.37 per cent voter turnout till 11 am 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 is scheduled to begin 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 12:57 PM IST
Jharkhand polls: Presiding officer replaced after allegations of favouring candidate
Jharkhand BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Wednesday said he had 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 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.
- 20 Nov 2024 12:22 PM IST
18.14 pc voter turnout in Maharashtra till 11 am
Maharashtra recorded a voter turnout of 18.14 per cent till 11 am as polling was underway in all 288 assembly constituencies of the state, election officials said.
Gadchiroli district recorded 30 per cent turnout in the first four hours of voting. Aheri in the district saw 30.6 per cent voting, while Armori assembly registered 30.75 per cent polling.
Mumbai city district recorded 15.78 per cent voting, while that of Mumbai suburban district was 17.99 per cent.
The Colaba assembly segment in the megapolis registered 13.03 per cent polling, Mahim 19.66 per cent and Worli 14.59 per cent. In Mumbai suburban, Bhandup polled 23.42 per cent votes.
In Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency in Thane, the voter turnout was 18.22 per cent.
The Nagpur South-West constituency, from where Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis is in the fray, the voter turnout was 19.91 per cent till 11 am, the officials said.
In Baramati in Pune district, from where Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar is fighting against his nephew Yugendra Pawar, the poll percentage was 18.81 per cent, they added.
