Polling begins in Maharashtra assembly elections
Mumbai (PTI): Polling began Wednesday morning in the Maharashtra assembly elections, where the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is vying to retain power and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) combine is hoping for a strong comeback.
Voting began in all the 288 assembly seats at 7 am and will end at 6 pm, an election official said. The votes will be counted on November 23.
Over 9.7 crore voters will be choosing from among the 4,136 candidates in the fray, the official said.
In the Mahayuti alliance, the BJP is contesting 149 seats, Shiv Sena is in the fray in 81 seats, and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP has fielded candidates in 59 constituencies.
In the opposition’s MVA combine, the Congress has fielded 101 candidates, Shiv Sena (UBT) 95, and NCP (SP) has put up 86 candidates.
Smaller parties, including the Bahujan Samaj Party and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM), are also contesting, with BSP fielding 237 candidates and AIMIM 17 in the 288-member Lower House.
The election campaign saw prominent leaders like Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and many Union ministers crisscrossing the state to garner votes for their candidates.
The Mahayuti, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and the Nationalist Congress Party led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, is banking on its popular schemes like Majhi Ladki Bahin for women helping it retain power.
The BJP's use of slogans like "Batenge toh katenge" and "Ek hai toh safe hai" prompted the opposition parties to accuse the Mahayuti of polarising voters along religious lines.
The MVA, comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), slammed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's use of "Batenge toh katenge" and PM Modi's "Ek hai toh safe hai” slogans.
Not all the BJP allies supported these slogans. Ajit Pawar, distanced himself from them. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis attempted to clarify the meaning of the slogans, leading to confusion within the ruling alliance.
The MVA alliance countered the ruling combine's rhetoric by focusing on issues like caste-based census, social justice, and protecting the Constitution. The opposition aimed to appeal to voters who felt neglected by the government.
Ahead of the elections, the BJP on Monday launched a new ad campaign attacking the opposition MVA and urging people to "Say No to Congress."
The ad campaign highlighted various incidents from the past, including the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, and incidents like the lynching of sadhus at Palghar.
The number of candidates this time has increased by 28 per cent compared to the 2019 state assembly elections. This year, 4,136 candidates are contesting, up from 3,239 in 2019.
Among these candidates, 2,086 are independents. Rebels are in the fray in over 150 constituencies, with candidates from the Mahayuti and MVA contesting against their party's official nominees.
As on October 30, the updated number of registered voters stands at 9,70,25,119, officials said.
Among these, there are 5,00,22,739 male voters, 4,69,96,279 female voters, and 6,101 transgender voters. Additionally, the total number of PwD (Persons with Disabilities) voters is 6,41,425, while the number of service voters from the armed forces is 1,16,170.
There will be 1,00,186 polling booths in Maharashtra this time, compared to 96,654 booths in the 2019 assembly elections. This increase is due to the rise in the number of voters.
Around six lakh state government employees will be involved in election duties.
Since the code of conduct came into force on October 15, cash and items worth Rs 252.42 crore were seized in enforcement actions conducted under various schemes of the central and state governments.
The seized items included Rs 63.47 crore cash, along with 34,89,088 litres of liquor valued at Rs 33.73 crore.
Additionally, Rs 32.67 crore drugs were confiscated, along with precious metals valued at Rs 83.12 crore.
Officials also seized 34,634 pieces of jewellery worth Rs 2.79 crore and 8,79,913 miscellaneous items valued at Rs 36.62 crore.
During the same period, 2,469 complaints related to violations of the Model Code of Conduct were received across the state via the C-Vigil app. Of these, 2,452 complaints, amounting to 99.31 per cent, were promptly resolved.
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Maharashtra: 21 EVMs replaced in Hingoli during mock polls
Mumbai (PTI): Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday described Maharashtra as a beacon of progress and prosperity in the country and appealed to the people to come out in large numbers to vote in the assembly polls to strengthen the democratic system.
Senior BJP leader Gadkari cast his vote at the Town Hall in Mahal area along with his family members and expressed confidence that the "double engine" government (led by his party at the Centre and in the state) will retain power in Maharashtra.
Stressing the importance of voting, he called it a cornerstone of democracy.
"Voting is our fundamental right in democracy. I appeal to the people to come out and vote. Increasing the voter turnout strengthens our democratic system," he said.
Highlighting Maharashtra's achievements, Gadkari described the state as a beacon of progress and prosperity in India.
"Maharashtra attracts the highest foreign direct investment (FDI) and boasts of strong industrial development and agricultural growth, including exports. It is a role model for other states," he said.
"The development of Maharashtra depends on its hardworking people, including villagers, and a capable leadership and government will undoubtedly propel the state forward," he added.
Gadkari expressed confidence that the ruling Mahayuti in the state, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP, will secure a good majority this time.
Asked about the "batenge toh katenge" (divided we fall) slogan raised by some BJP leaders during the poll campaign, Gadkari urged the people to rather focus on the state's development.
"Leave it aside and focus on voting for Maharashtra's progress. Development is evident in every corner of the state. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, our government has transformed Maharashtra into a better state. The double-engine government will return once again," he asserted.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also cast his vote in Nagpur, appealed to the voters, specially women, to exercise their franchise.
"It is my appeal to my 'Ladki Bahina' to cast vote. In a democracy, you have some expectations from the government. Those who exercise their franchise have more rights to stress on their demands," he said.
Notably, the state government some months back launched the Ladki Bahin scheme to provide financial assistance to women.
Fadnavis expressed optimism about an increased voter turnout, particularly among women, highlighting improvements at polling stations compared to the previous elections.
He noted that, unlike the parliamentary polls held in the summer month of May, there was no scorching heat now to affect the voter participation.
Fadnavis also addressed the gender gap in voter turnout, saying "Generally, there is a gap of five to six per cent between the male and female voters. I am sure that this time, women will fill the gap by turning up in large numbers at the polling booths."
The BJP on Tuesday played purported voice notes of Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole and NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule to allege attempts to encash Bitcoins to influence the state elections, claiming it poses a serious question on the conduct of polls in a free and fair manner.
Commenting on it, Fadnavis called for a comprehensive inquiry to uncover the truth behind the allegations.
"I have already spoken about the Anil Deshmukh fake attack story," Fadnavis said.
NCP (SP) leader and former state home minister Deshmukh was injured after some persons hurled stones on his car in Nagpur district on Monday evening.
Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who too cast his vote in Nagpur, accused the opposition Congress of misleading the people.
"The Congress cheats people with fake manifestos, as we have seen in Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, and Karnataka," he claimed.
On the incident involving Deshmukh, Bawankule said, "I did not expect this from him. It was unexpected that he would resort to tricks to gain votes."
"The local police officials have already exposed his tactics. For the past two years, he has been trying to garner voter sympathy," he claimed.
