Maharashtra and a few constituencies in Jharkhand go to the polls on November 20, to elect their next government after an intense round of campaigning. In Jharkhand, the second phase of polling will be conducted on Wednesday while all 288 constituencies in Maharashtra will vote in a single phase.
The poll campaign for the Maharashtra Assembly polls ended on Monday, in which the BJP-led Mahayuti fought to retain power while the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance endeavored to unseat the incumbent government.
Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: What time is it?
Maharashtra Assembly polls will be held on November 20 in one phase for all 288 assembly seats. Voting is scheduled to start at 07:00 am and continue until 6:00 pm. Mumbai and other cities in the state will observe a dry day on election day.
What time can you see exit polls?
As per guidelines of the Election Commission of India (ECI), predictions based on exit polls can be divulged only after voting across the state ends. These predictions can be broadcast from 6.30 pm on November 20 to pollsters and media houses for both Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
This ensures that the voters will not be influenced by exit poll forecasts before going to vote. If these surveys come out early enough, they could sway people who are unsure or create a bandwagon effect, which is not exactly the fairest way to decide an election.
What time will the results of Maharashtra be declared?
Vote counting will take place on Nov 23.
Intense Election Campaign
The Mahayuti comprise the ruling alliance which includes BJP, Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena. The combination relies on its women schemes like ‘Majhi Ladki Bahin’ to retain power.
BJP slogans of “batenge toh katenge” and “ek hai toh safe hai” have caused the opposition parties to claim that the Mahayuti is polarising votes based on religion.
Through its focus on issues like social justice, caste-based censuses, and constitutional protection, for example, the MVA coalition challenged the ruling combine’s rhetoric.
As the elections are closing in, on Monday, BJP launched another ad campaign targeting the opposition MVA and urging voters to ‘Say No to Congress’. With the help of the ad campaign, various historical incidents were highlighted— including the lynching of Sadhus in Palghar and the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, etc.
Polling Codes and Violations
As per the poll authorities, out of 615 complaints lodged on the C-Vigil App in Mumbai City, EC has addressed 563 complaints, and out of 623 lodged in suburban-564 have been addressed. In Mumbai city, poll code violations have been reported in eight cases and outstation districts may see another eight. In total, 30 additional cognizable and non-cognizable offenses have been registered, an official said.
In Mumbai city, poll squads seized 2,800 liters of liquor worth ₹12.89 lakh and in the suburbs, they confiscated 39,385 litres of liquor valued at ₹1.10 crore. Drugs valued at ₹44.79 crore were seized in a suburban district while drugs worth ₹4.17 crore were seized in the city.
