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 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.
- 20 Nov 2024 12:10 PM IST
Sandeep Varier visits influential Samastha leader on Palakkad bypoll day
As the voting for the crucial assembly by-poll is underway in Palakkad, former BJP leader Sandeep Varier, who recently joined the Congress party, called on prominent Islamic scholar and Samastha leader Syed Jifri Muthukoya Thangal at his house here on Wednesday.
Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, popularly known as Samastha, is an apex body of Sunni scholars in the state.
Though Varier termed it as a "courtesy call", it assumes great significance as it came a day after two Malayalam newspapers, the mouthpieces of two prominent factions of the Samastha, published CPI (M)-sponsored advertisements against him.
The paid advertisements featured Varier's alleged old social media posts, sparking a huge political controversy in the state on the eve of Palakkad by-election.
- 20 Nov 2024 12:09 PM IST
Hours before 2nd phase of Jharkhand polls, Maoists torch five trucks in Latehar
Hours before the commencement of the second and final phase of the Jharkhand assembly elections on Wednesday, five trucks were torched allegedly by Maoists in Latehar district, police said.
The incident occurred in Laat forest under the jurisdiction of Herhanj Police Station around 1.30 am, a senior officer said.
The trucks were deployed in coal transportation at the Tubed coal project in Latehar.
“The trucks were returning after dumping coal when they were set on fire by members of the banned Jharkhand Prastuti Committee (JPC), a splinter group of Maoists. An investigation has been initiated and raids are being conducted to arrest the perpetrators of the crime,” Latehar Superintendent of Police Kumar Gaurav said.
The Maoists left a pamphlet at the spot in which they threatened to stop the work of loading and transporting at the Tubed coal project until talks are held with the banned outfit, he said.
