Maharashtra Election 2024 LIVE Updates: Stage set for voting to begin on 288 seats today
Maharashtra Election 2024 LIVE Updates: The stage is set for voting to be held for all 288 seats of the Maharashtra legislative assembly today, November 20.Overall, 4,136 candidates are in the fray in the elections.
The contest in Maharashtra is largely bipolar. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in alliance with Ajit Pawar-led NCP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena under the ruling Mahayuti banner, is contesting against the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), the NCP (Sharad Pawar) and the Congress party.
Of the 288 assembly seats, 234 come under general category, 29 are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) and 25 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST).
Voting will be held across 1,00,186 polling stations in 52,789 locations. This includes 42,604 urban polling booths and 57,582 rural polling booths. Of these 299 polling booths are managed by Persons with Disabilities (PwD).
According to the updated voter list, Maharashtra has about 9.7 crore (97 million) eligible voters. This includes 4.97 crore male voters and 4.66 crore female voters. There are 1.85 crore young voters (18-29), including 20.93 lakh first-time voters (18-19).
The 2019 Assembly Elections
The 2019 assembly elections in Maharashtra saw 61.4 per cent voter turnout. The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) of the BJP and the Shiv Sena (SHS) won a majority. The alliance was dissolved after differences over the government formation, precipitating a political crisis.
In the last five years, the state has had three different chief ministers. These include BJP’s Devendra Fadavis, Shiv Sena’s (UBT) Uddhav Thackeray, and the Shiv Sena’s (SHS) Eknath Shinde.
The two major regional parties – the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) – also saw splits, leading to alliances in power and in the opposition.
High Political Stakes
The political stakes have never been higher in Maharashtra. As key players vie for control in one of the richest states of India, the contest is more than just a battle for power. While it is a test of leadership legacies for many, it is also a battle for political survival for others.
The high-decibel campaign saw several prominent national leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Union ministers, travelling across the state to rally support for the Mahayuti and MVA candidates.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, the BJP lost ground in Maharashtra. It won just nine of the 28 seats it contested in 2024, as against 23 of the 25 seats it contested in the 2019 general elections.
The results in Maharashtra will test the BJP’s momentum after the Haryana win. The election will also be another test for the INDIA bloc since major players in the opposition alliance are in the fray here.
The election tests the BJP’s ability to stay in power with the help of regional parties – the Shiv Sena and NCP factions, in this case. A victory in Maharashtra would certainly bolster the BJP’s reach beyond its traditional strongholds in the north.
