LIVE: Maharashtra election on Nov 20; Jharkhand on Nov 13, 20; result on Nov 23
EC also announces bypolls in Wayanad and Nanded Lok Sabha seats and 48 Assembly constituencies
The Election Commission on Tuesday (October 15) announced the schedule for the Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly polls. The poll panel convened a press conference in New Delhi at 3.30 pm to announce the details.
Maharashtra will vote in one phase on November 20. Jharkhand will vote in two phases, on November 13 and November 20. The results for both states will be announced on November 23.
The EC also announced dates Lok Sabha and Assembly byolls, which will again be held on November 13 and November 20. This includes the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, vacated when Rahul Gandhi opted to retain the Rae Bareli seat in Uttar Pradesh. Priyanka Gandhi is set to contest in Wayanad as the Congress candidate.
The three Lok Sabha seats currently vacant are Wayanad in Kerala, Nanded in Maharashtra and Basirhat in West Bengal. Congress MP Vasant Chavan, who represented Nanded, and TMC MP Haji Sheikh Nurul Islam, who represented Basirhat, passed away recently.
Term ending
While the term of the Maharashtra assembly ends on November 26, that of Jharkhand ends on January 5 next year.
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Read the updates here
Live Updates
- 15 Oct 2024 10:06 AM GMT
Poll dates live: CEC thanks Haryana, J-K voters
CEC Rajiv Kumar thanks the voters of Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir for their enthusiastic participation in the recently concluded Assembly election.
- 15 Oct 2024 9:45 AM GMT
Poll dates live: Cong to contest Jharkhand polls as part of JMM-led alliance, BJP says confident of forming govt
The Congress on Tuesday said it will contest the Jharkhand assembly elections in alliance with the JMM, with a final decision on seat sharing expected soon.
"We will contest elections with our alliance partners in the state. A final decision on the seat sharing will be done soon. We are confident of winning elections on the back of development works done by us," Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Keshav Mahto said.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) also expressed confidence that its alliance would be voted back to power.
However, it raised concerns on how Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma knew that the election dates would be announced on Tuesday.
"We are ready to contest elections, though the announcement was made a bit early. However, we would like to know how Sarma was aware that elections would be announced on Tuesday. This is a grave threat to democracy," JMM spokesperson Manoj Pandey said.
Sarma, who is BJP’s co-in-charge of assembly elections in Jharkhand, had said on Monday that the election dates would be announced on Tuesday.
JMM afraid of defeat: BJP
Reacting to the JMM's allegations, the BJP claimed that the JMM was afraid of defeat in the upcoming elections.
The BJP also mentioned that the seat-sharing arrangement among NDA partners for the assembly elections was "almost final," with the first list of candidates to be announced within 48 hours of the polls being declared.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said the JMM-led alliance will contest all 81 seats.
- 15 Oct 2024 9:43 AM GMT
Poll dates live: Seven governor-appointed MLCs sworn in ahead of Maharashtra polls announcement
Hours before the announcement of the Maharashtra assembly elections, seven members of the state legislative council, appointed by the Governor, were administered the oath of secrecy on Tuesday.
Of the seven new MLCs, the BJP has nominated three, while Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's NCP have two members each.
The Governor can appoint 12 candidates as MLCs with a tenure of six years, and they are appointed from different walks of life.
On Monday, the state cabinet cleared seven out of 12 names and received approval from Governor C P Radhakrishnan. With his approval, the state government held its swearing-in ceremony at the Vidhan Bhavan.
The remaining five posts are left vacant.
Shinde rehabilitated former Lok Sabha MP Hemant Patil and former MLC Manisha Kayande, while the BJP chose Dharmaguru Babusingh Maharaj Rathod, Chitra Wagh, and Vikrant Patil.
Rathod heads Washim-based Poharadevi Sansthan, a prominent organisation of the Gor Banjara community. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the same temple a few weeks back.
Wagh is the state president of the saffron party's women's wing, and Vikrant Patil is the state general secretary.
- 15 Oct 2024 9:33 AM GMT
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday appointed election observers and coordinators for the upcoming Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly polls.
