Maharashtra, Jharkhand Election Dates 2024 Highlights: Maharashtra to vote on Nov 20, result on Nov 23

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar stated on Tuesday that the Election Commission is the ultimate authority regarding the allotment of poll symbols. His comments came in response to the Chief Election Commissioner’s (CEC) decision not to freeze the trumpet symbol, which is available in the free list of symbols for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections.

"The Election Commission is the final authority. Nothing can be done now," Pawar remarked.

The Sharad Pawar-led NCP had requested the Election Commission to freeze the trumpet symbol due to its resemblance to the "man blowing turha" symbol that has been officially allocated to the NCP (SP).

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday called on voters to provide a "strong mandate" to the Mahayuti alliance in the upcoming assembly elections. In a message posted on X, Fadnavis remarked, "The biggest festival of democracy was announced today. Diwali is celebrated as a festival of lights, and we shall celebrate another such day on November 23. Maharashtra awaits your blessings and a strong mandate for development." He noted the BJP's significant victories in the 2014 and 2019 assembly elections, urging citizens to unite and celebrate the Mahayuti alliance's anticipated success on November 23. "Let’s participate in large numbers in this festival of democracy," he added.

A senior TMC leader remarked that the delay was a "tactic" designed to prevent the party from easily winning the seat. "The Election Petition filed for Basirhat is a fabricated match between the BJP and the Election Commission to postpone the bypoll. Trinamool would have easily won; hence the announcement has not been made," the leader stated.

Basirhat was marked by intense competition between the TMC and BJP during the recent Lok Sabha elections, where the BJP attempted to leverage the alleged sexual assault of women in Sandeshkhali, one of the assembly constituencies, as a significant issue. Despite this, BJP candidate Rekha Patra lost to Islam by over three lakh votes, after which she filed an election petition in the Calcutta High Court, which is still pending. (From PTI)

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) criticiSed the Election Commission for not announcing the bypoll dates for West Bengal's Basirhat, accusing the poll panel of employing "delaying tactics" at the behest of the BJP.

The seat became vacant following the death of TMC MP SK Nurul Islam, who passed away from cancer on September 25 at the age of 61.

While the Election Commission announced dates for assembly polls in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, as well as by-elections for 47 assembly seats and the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, the bypolls for Basirhat and Milkipur in Uttar Pradesh were omitted due to pending election petitions. (From PTI)

The bypoll for the Kedarnath Assembly seat in Uttarakhand will be held on November 20.

The seat fell vacant following the death of MLA Shaila Rawat in July. Rawat won the seat on a BJP ticket in the 2022 assembly polls and had previously represented the seat in 2012 as a Congress MLA. She lost in 2017 but regained it in 2022. The Kedarnath seat, located in Rudraprayag district, is part of the Pauri Garhwal Lok Sabha constituency, which is currently held by the BJP.

The current composition of the 200-seat Rajasthan assembly includes 114 MLAs from the Bharatiya Janata Party, 65 from the Congress, three from the Bharat Adivasi Party, two from the Bahujan Samaj Party, one from the Rashtriya Lok Dal, and eight Independent MLAs.

According to official data, there are 1,862 polling stations and a total of 1,936,532 voters in the seven assembly constituencies set to participate in the upcoming bypolls next month.

(With inputs from PTI)

Voting for by-elections in seven assembly constituencies in Rajasthan will take place on November 13, with results set to be announced on November 23, the Election Commission of India confirmed. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar unveiled the schedule during a press conference in New Delhi on Tuesday, which included bypolls for 48 assembly constituencies across 15 states.

The Rajasthan bypolls will be held in the following assembly seats: Jhunjhunu, Dausa, Deoli-Uniara, Khinvsar, Chaurasi, Salumbar, and Ramgarh. Out of these seven constituencies, four are currently held by the Congress party.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar addressed allegations of irregularities in the recently concluded Haryana Assembly elections with a philosophical response. When asked about critics raising concerns over the poll process, Kumar remarked, "Kuch to log kahenge, logon ka kaam hai kehna."

During a press conference, Kumar addressed the growing public trust in the electoral system, stating that participation is increasing with each election, incidents of violence are decreasing, and record seizures are being made. However, he added that voters have shown strong confidence in the process by actively participating.

Jarange expressed disappointment that the Maratha community's hopes for quota fulfillment had not been met. "Fadnavis has worked to ruin the lives of Maratha youth," he claimed, alleging that his actions have prevented the community from uniting and progressing. "They have announced the elections without fulfilling our demand," he added.

The activist highlighted that while the government included 17 communities in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, the Maratha community has not received similar recognition. He called on Maratha voters to ensure 100% participation in the upcoming elections, stating, "The community will decide whether to bring you back to power."

Activist Manoj Jarange criticised Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday for failing to address the Maratha community's demand for reservation quotas before the implementation of the model code of conduct for the upcoming assembly elections.

Speaking to the media in Antarwali Sarati village following the announcement of poll dates, Jarange urged the Maratha community to demonstrate their influence by ensuring full voter turnout in the elections scheduled for November 20.

Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister of Assam, welcomed the announcement of election schedule for Jharkhand on Tuesday and dubbed it as a "crucial" election considering the state's future.

“I heartily welcome the announcement of Jharkhand Assembly elections. This election is decisive for the future of the state. On one side is the INDI alliance's track record of sin, corruption and appeasement in the last five years, and on the other side is #ModiKiGuarantee, which will take the state on the path of progress in the coming 5 years. In the coming days, in this great festival of democracy, all our workers will reach the homes of the people and pray for their blessings,” he wrote on X.

Mayawati, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief, said on Tuesday that her party will contest on its own in the upcoming state elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand as well as byelections in nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh.

In a series of posts on X in Hindi, Mayawati welcomed the announcement of the poll schedule and said it is the responsibility of the Election Commission to ensure that the elections are held in the shortest possible time and are free from the curse of money and muscle power.

"The BSP will contest elections alone in both these states...," she said, adding it is to ensure that its people remain united and strive to come to power as part of their mission to protect dignity and self-respect inspired by B R Ambedkar.

"The BSP will field its candidates in the by-elections being held on nine assembly seats in UP and will fight this election on its own strength with full preparation and vigour," the former chief minister said in another post.

People in Jharkhand are hassled, said Union minister Annapurna Devi, adding that the law and order has completely failed there. “Rape incidents occur in broad daylight. Several incidents happened in Santhal Pargana. But this government did not take any concrete initiative on this,” she said.

The union minister further added that people are seeking peace, however, it is not possible under the current government. “Corruption is at its peak. People still remember the tenure of the previous BJP government. Women voters trust PM Modi and his guarantees. People will support BJP,” she said.

Tribals are suffering and there have been attempts to seize their lands, said BJP leader Sanjay Jaiswal after the announcement of Jharkhand polls schedule. The number of tribals in Jharkhand have fallen by over 12 per cent and then they (JMM) speak about ‘adivasi asmita’, he said. Jaiswal expressed confidence that the NDA will form a majority government in Jharkhand. He stated that public will surely punish Hemant Soren for the corruption that has taken place in the past five years.

Just ahead of the poll dates announcement for Maharashtra, chief minister Eknath Shinde announced Diwali bonus for BMC workers on Tuesday.

Apart from the BMC staff, Asha workers and kindergarten teachers will also get this Diwali bonus.

Read more about it here

BJP leader Medha Kulkarni said that Lotus (referring to BJP's symbol) will bloom in the upcoming Assembly polls that will be held on November 20 and added that Mahayuti will emerge victorious.

Congress Screening Committee meeting for Maharashtra assembly polls will be held tomorrow, October 16, in Delhi.

-         A major distortion is being created due to Exit Polls and expectations set by it

-         This is a matter of deliberation and introspection for the Press, especially for electronic media

-         There is a need for self-introspection, that what was the sample size, where was the survey done, how did the result come and what is my responsibility if I did not match to that result

-         There are bodies which govern these. I am sure the time has come that Associations/Bodies which govern, will do some self-regulation

-         The gap between expectations and achievements is nothing but frustration. So, this issue is such that needs some deliberation

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant said that the Maha Vikas Aghadi will fight the Maharashtra Assembly polls in the same way as it did in the Lok Sabha polls and win. He stated that corruption, unemployment has increased in the state and there is a total collapse of law and order.

Jharkhand Congress president Keshav Mahto Kamlesh welcomed the announcement of dates for the Assembly polls. He said that his party is fully prepared for the upcoming polls. “People of Jharkhand have made up their minds and they will once again choose the ally government here,” he stated.

Phase 1 (43 Assembly constituencies)

Date of Issue of Gazette Notification: October 18

Last date of making nominations: October 25

Date for scrutiny of nominations: October 28

Last date for withdrawal of candidature: October 30

Date of Poll: November 13

Date of counting: November 23

Phase 2 (38 Assembly constituencies)

Date of Issue of Gazette Notification: October 22

Last date of making nominations: October 29

Date for scrutiny of nominations: October 30

Last date for withdrawal of candidature: November 1

Date of Poll: November 20

Date of counting: November 23

Date of Issue of Gazette Notification: October 22

Last date of making nominations: October 29

Date for scrutiny of nominations: October 30

Last date for withdrawal of candidature: November 4

Date of Poll: November 20

Date of counting: November 23

Date before which election shall be completed: November 25

By-Elections to 47 Assembly constituencies and 1 parliamentary constituency (Wayanad) in Kerala will be held on Nov 13, the EC announced.

By-polls to 1 Assembly constituency in Uttarakhand will take place on Nov 20.

By-elections to 1 Parliamentary constituency (Nanded) in Maharashtra on Nov 20.

Counting will take place on November 23.

Jharkhand will vote in two phases on November 13 and November 20. Counting of votes, meanwhile, will take place on November 23.

Elections in Maharashtra will be held on November 20 while the results will be announced on November 23, CEC Rajiv Kumar announced

2.6 crore total voters in Jharkhand

3.67 lakhs PWDs

1706 Centenarians

448 Third gender

1.14 lakh 85+ age voters

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said, "On behalf of the Election Commision of India, we thank all the voters of Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana for strongly participating in polls. People of Jammu and Kashmir have made festival of democracy historic. As the world's biggest democracy, India is setting gold standards in every election."

9.63 crore voters in Maharashtra

4.96 crore male voters

4.66 crore female

1.85 crore young voters

Nearly 21 lakh first-time voters

Election Commission of India (ECI) is holding a press conference in Delhi. Dates for Assembly elections in Jharkhand and Maharashtra will be announced shortly.

For the first time in nearly 20 years, Maharashtra is not going to hold its elections simultaneously with Haryana.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said heavy security deployment was needed in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Moreover, since Maharashtra is a large state, the poll panel will have to deploy heavy security over there too for the assembly elections.

Read the full story here

Maharashtra Assembly election: Total seats – 288, Majority mark – 145

In the 2019 Assembly polls, the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 105 seats. However, the undivided NCP, Shiv Sena and the Congress formed the government. They came together to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi:

1.  Shiv Sena: 56 seats

2. Undivided Nationalist Congress Party (NCP): 54 seats

3. Indian National Congress: 44 seats

In Jharkhand's 81-seat assembly, 41 seats are needed for a majority. The 2019 election results were:

1.       Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM): 30 seats

2.      Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP): 25 seats

3.      Indian National Congress: 16 seats

This election saw a tight race between the JMM and BJP, with JMM emerging as the largest party.

Jharkhand Vikas Morcha got 3 seats while All Jharkhand Students Union won 2 seats.

The Congress party on Tuesday appointed the following leaders as AICC senior observers for Jharkhand for the upcoming assembly elections in the state, with immediate effect.

The leaders who have been appointed are:

1. Tariq Anwar

2. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

3. Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu

Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, in conversation with ANI, said that Mahayuti is fully prepared for the elections and will go to the forefront. “The formula of our three parties is also certain. It will come out in 2-3 days,” he said.

Bawankule further stated that the alliance would go to the people of the state and share its manifesto. “PM Modi's government is in power for the next 5 years and if the Mahayuti government is formed in Maharashtra, then the double-engine government can do good to the people and can take Maharashtra towards development. If even 1 vote goes to Congress, then it will create hindrance in development,” he said.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, ahead of the announcement of schedule for Maharashtra Assembly elections, appointed AICC senior observers (division- wise) and state election senior coordinators for the state with immediate effect.

On Tuesday, the Congress party said that it will contest the upcoming Assembly polls in Jharkhand in alliance with JMM, with a final decision on seat sharing likely to be out soon.

Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Keshav Mahto stated that the party would contest elections with its alliance partners in the state. “We are confident of winning elections on the back of development works done by us,” he said.

Sanjeev Raje Naik Nimbalkar, brother of NCP leader Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar, joined the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) on Monday. Along with Sanjeev Raje Naik Nimbalkar, NCP MLA from Phaltan Dipak Chavan and his supporters also joined the NCP (SP) in the presence of Sharad Pawar.

-         Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar's brief attendance at a key cabinet meeting in Mumbai sparked rumours, especially given the numerous financially important decisions made in his absence despite being the finance minister.

-         38 decisions -- many of them having major financial implications -- were taken in the two-and-half hours after he had left

-         However, ending speculations around his possible fallout with the ruling alliance, he said that all is well within the ruling Mahayuti alliance comprising BJP, Shiv Sena and his NCP.

-         He said he had to leave early to attend a scheduled programme at Ahmedpur in Marathwada region, adding that all the cabinet decisions taken had his approval.

Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar said that their fight is to save the respect and dignity of Maharashtra. He said that the current government has put the respect and dignity of Maharashtra at the feet of Gujarat. “Due to this, the people of Maharashtra were waiting for elections, to take revenge. We are prepared for the elections,” he said.

Ahead of the announcement of polls schedule for Maharashtra, 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 Bharatiya Janata Party has nominated three, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's NCP have two members each.

• Hemant Soren was arrested in January by Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case
• Champai Soren took over briefly as the 12th chief minister of the state in Hemant’s absence
• Champai resigned from the post on July 3 after JMM leader Hemant Soren was granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court
• Hemant Soren took oath as the 13th CM of Jharkhand on July 4
• While Champai Soren said that he would float a new party, he crossed over to the Bharatiya Janata Party just before the crucial assembly polls

- In July 2023, Ajit Pawar split from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), taking with him a majority of the party's MLAs.

- He then pledged support to the BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra, which is headed by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

- Over 40 out of NCP’s 53 MLAs sided with him.

Congress’s state president Nana Patole said that the seat sharing numbers for Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition has not yet been finalised. He said that they are ready for the election and a decision will be taken during Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Maharashtra.

Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde is likely to address media at 2:30 pm ahead of the announcement of schedule for the state Assembly elections.

The 2019 Jharkhand assembly elections for 81 seats were conducted from November 30 to December 20, with results announced on December 23. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led alliance emerged victorious, securing 47 seats, while the BJP won 25.

In the recent Lok Sabha elections, however, the BJP demonstrated stronger performance in Jharkhand. It claimed eight out of 14 seats, establishing itself as the dominant party. The JMM secured three seats, and its ally Congress won two. The AJSU Party took the remaining Lok Sabha seat.

The 288-member Maharashtra assembly election took place in a single phase on October 21, 2019. While the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance secured a majority, they failed to form a government due to disagreements over the chief minister's position. This led to the imposition of President's rule in the state. On November 23, 2019, BJP's Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as chief minister with NCP's Ajit Pawar as deputy. However, both resigned just three days later, before a floor test could be conducted.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, comprising Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress, formed the government on November 28, 2019, with Uddhav Thackeray as chief minister. However, Thackeray's tenure ended on June 29, 2022, following a rebellion led by Eknath Shinde, who, along with 40 lawmakers, broke away and aligned with the BJP. In the aftermath, Shinde became the new chief minister, with Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP taking the deputy chief minister role.

The JMM on Tuesday, ahead of the announcement of schedule for the Assembly polls in Jharkhand, alleged that the EC is not acting independently and is under pressure from the BJP.

In Ranchi, JMM leader Manoj Pandey expressed his worries, said, "The election date is to be announced today, but BJP leaders got information about it yesterday. This is a very serious matter. Does the commission work at the behest of BJP leaders? It is a serious matter to keep the commission as a puppet."

Apart from the general elections to the two Assemblies, the poll panel may announce bypolls to three Lok Sabha and at least about 47 assembly seats that are lying vacant due to several reasons.

The Lok Sabha seats lying vacant are Nanded in Maharashtra, Wayanad in Kerala and Basirhat in West Bengal.

In the upcoming assembly polls, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led alliance will contest in all 81 seats, Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren said. He said that his party has reviewed its election preparedness and is confident of winning the Assembly polls.

On Tuesday evening, the BJP Central Election Committee will hold a meeting at the party’s national headquarter in New Delhi to discuss the names of candidates for the Jharkhand Assembly polls.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP National President JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, BJP election in-charge in the state Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Co-incharge Himanta Biswa Sarma and other members of CEC will be a part of the meeting.

Amid rumours of trouble between Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and the ruling Mahayuti alliance following his brief presence at a cabinet meeting, he said that all is well within the coalition. He also termed these speculations as “baseless”.

Read more here

After reclaiming power in Haryana, the BJP now sets its sights on Maharashtra. The party aims to replicate its success there, despite facing a buoyant Opposition MVA, which secured 30 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

In the recently concluded Haryana polls, the saffron party ended with its best-ever haul of 48 seats, 11 more than Congress. The JJP and AAP were decimated and the INLD managed to win just two seats.

Congress leader Manju Kumari on Tuesday joined the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) along with her father and former MLA Sukar Ravidas in the presence of Jharkhand BJP chief Babulal Marandi and state assembly election co-incharge Himanta Biswa Sarma.

In the Lok Sabha 2024 polls, the BJP-led Mahayuti Alliance bagged 17 out of Maharashtra’s 48 Lok Sabha seats. The saffron party’s share fell to 9 seats compared to 23 five years ago. The Maha Vikas Aghadi meanwhile secured 30 seats.

The Assembly election will see a two contest between the ruling Mahayuti Alliance – comprising of the BJP, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) – and the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition – which includes Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) and Congress.

Jharkhand's state assembly term will end on January 5, 2025. The upcoming elections will cover 81 constituencies statewide, comprising 44 general, 9 Scheduled Caste (SC), and 28 Scheduled Tribe (ST) seats.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) will announce the schedule for the Assembly polls in Jharkhand and Maharashtra today.

During the 2019 elections, Maharashtra conducted polling in a single phase while Jharkhand had voted in five phases.