Assembly Polls: Voting underway in Maharashtra and Jharkhand

Voting for Maharashtra and second & final phase of Jharkhand Assembly election begins. In Jharkhand, the remaining 38 out of the 81 seats are going to polls on Wednesday. In Maharashtra, polling is being held in all 288 assembly constituencies. Voting for by-elections, including in Nanded (Maharashtra) Lok Sabha constituency and 9 assembly constituencies of Uttar Pradesh, is also being done Wednesday. Maharashtra Governor C. P. Radhakrishnan casts his vote at the polling booth at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai, under Colaba Assembly constituency.

#WATCH | #MaharashtraAssemblyElections2024 | Governor C. P. Radhakrishnan casts his vote at the polling booth at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai, under Colaba Assembly constituency.

Mahayuti has fielded Rahul Narwekar (BJP) from here, he faces a contest from Maha Vikas Aghadi's Heera… pic.twitter.com/WOxDNPzUCw

— ANI (@ANI) November 20, 2024

In Jharkhand , long ques of voters were seen at the polling stations. In Jharkhand, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-Congress-Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) coalition is seeking to retain power, while the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance is trying to seize control.Voting in both the states began at 7 am. It will end at 6 pm in Maharashtra and 5 pm in Jharkhand, barring 31 booths where it will conclude at 4 pm.
The elections in Maharashtra is almost a direct contest between the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the Opposition MVA.The Mahayuti is banking on its popular schemes like Majhi Ladki Bahin for women to help it retain power. The MVA has focused on issues like caste-based census, social justice, and protecting the Constitution. It had aimed to appeal to voters who felt neglected by the ruling Eknath Shinde government. The enforcement agencies seize cash, liquor, drugs, freebies, and other inducements to the tune of over Rs1,000 crore in Maharashtra.