Maharashtra Election 2024: Mukesh Ambani and family cast vote; 58.22 % voter turnout till 5 pm

Mumbai City's voter turnout stood at 49.07%, while Mumbai Suburban was at 51.76%, according to EC.

Founder-Chairperson of Reliance Foundation Nita Ambani says, "I have just cast my vote. It is an extremely proud feeling as a citizen of Mumbai to exercise my right to vote. I hope all Mumbaikars have come out and voted today..."

The Thane city police on Wednesday registered a case against Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate from Kopri-Pachpakhadi Kedar Dighe, who is contesting against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, for alleged possession of liquor and cash, an official said.

Kedar Dighe is the nephew of Shinde’s mentor, the late Anand Dighe, who wielded immense influence in the Thane region as a Shiv Sena leader.

Actor Shah Rukh Khan along with his wife Gauri Khan, daughter & actor Suhana Khan and son Aryan Khan arrive to cast their vote.

Additional Chief Election Officer Maharashtra, Kiran Kulkarni says, "Till 1 pm, the estimated voting percentage is around 32%. According to historical trends, the voting percentage increases in the final hours of polling. I am confident, that this time we will cross last time's percentage... All issues had been sorted by our machinery, and they were properly addressed as per rules..."

As the voting for the single-phase assembly polls in Maharashtra is underway, Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Wednesday exuded confidence in winning the elections and said that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will form government in the state.

"It is important to vote. Everyone should come and cast their votes. It hardly takes any time because everything is so well organised. Voting is the first step towards the change that we want to see," says Aditya Birla Group chairperson Kumar Mangalam Birla's wife and philanthropist Neerja Birla.

The district-wise voting percentage in the state is as follows:

Ahmednagar – 47.85 percent, Akola – 44.45 percent, Amravati -45.13 percent, Aurangabad – 47.05 percent, Beed – 46.15 percent, Bhandara – 51.32 percent, Buldhana-47.48 percent, Chandrapur- 49.87 percent, Dhule – 47.62 percent, Gadchiroli-62.99 percent, Gondiya -53.88 percent, Hingoli – 49.64 percent, Jalgaon – 40.62 percent, Jalna- 50.14 percent, Kolhapur- 54.06 percent, Latur _ 48.34 percent, Mumbai City- 39.34 percent, Mumbai Suburban-40.89 percent, Nagpur – 44.45 percent, Nanded – 42.87 percent, Nandurbar – 51.16 percent, Nashik -46.86 percent, Osmanabad – 45.81 percent, Palghar – 46.82 percent, Parbhani – 48.84 percent, Pune – 41.70 percent, Raigad – 48.13 percent, Ratnagiri – 50.04 percent, Sangli – 48.39 percent, Satara – 49.82 percent, Sindhudurg – 51.05 percent, Solapur – 43.49 percent, Thane – 38.94 percent, Wardha – 49.68 percent, Washim – 43.67 percent, Yavatmal – 48.81 percent

Actor Shraddha Kapoor with her mother Shivangi Kolhapure, aunt and actor Padmini Kolhapure, and brother Siddhanth Kapoor cast their vote in #MaharashtraElection2024, in Mumbai. Singer Udit Narayan also cast his vote.

"The initial trends show that people are voting for Congress candidates in large numbers. Congress has the support of people and according to trends, we are hoping that 75-80 of our candidates will win," Congress state chief Nana Patole.

Clash broke out between Shiv Sena candidate Suhas Kande & Independent candidate Sameer Bhujbal in Nandgaon Assembly Constituency.

Director Rohit Shetty shows his inked finger after casting his vote at a polling station in Mumbai. Shetty said "We have to vote and we all should vote, that is very important."

NCP (SP) candidate from Parli assembly constituency, Rajesaheb Deshmukh, claimed that a CCTV camera was disabled at a polling booth in Dharmapuri. In a purported video, Deshmukh can be seen talking to the polling staff about the “detached” cable of a CCTV camera and asking who had done it. Later, he alleged that the CCTV had been made dysfunctional.

After casting his vote at a polling booth in Mumbai, Bollywood actor Anupam Kher said, “I cast my vote every time and I feel that responsibilities come with rights. When we demand our rights, then it is also our responsibility to elect the candidate of our choice. I want to tell the first-time voters that it is cool to vote and it would be wonderful if they come out and vote.”

Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar hailed the security arrangements at the polling stations and said that the people of Mumbai are voting peacefully. "We appeal to those who have not voted to also go and vote… the more people vote the better it is,' he added.

Fashion designer Manish Malhotra casts his vote at a polling booth in Pali Hill area of Mumbai.

NCP-SCP leader and candidate from the Mumbra-Kalwa Assembly constituency, Jitendra Ahwad casted his vote at a polling station in Thane.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal’s son Dhruv Goyal says, "I request everyone to cast their votes. I have also come from America. Everyone should come out and vote..."

"Today is voting day and it's your right to come and vote. So, please come and cast your vote," says actor Ranbir Kapoor after casting his vote at a polling booth in Mumbai's Pali Hill area.

"This is the most important day because today we are celebrating democracy where all the votes count and they hold an equal value. So, I want to appeal to the people to come out to cast their vote," says Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad.

"Many people don't vote because they have no interest in politics. But we should feel proud of our city and our country. We should never give up on democracy. This is the least we can do. Every vote matters," says actor Tushar Kapoor as he casts his vote.

Daughter-in-law of CM Eknath Shinde and wife of Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, Vrushali Shrikant Shinde says, "The atmosphere is good, people are coming out of their homes to vote. Everyone should vote..."

Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde says, "The atmosphere is good, people are coming out of their homes to vote. People are happy with the development work that has been done in the last two and a half years. Ladli Behna Yojana is an effective scheme and women are voting in large numbers for their brother. We are doing the politics of development."

Actor Isha Koppikar said, "I have exercised my right, because if I dont, someone will take away the right to choose my government from me... I urge everyone to vote and choose the right government for the progress of your state and country."

BJP MP Hema Malini says, "... I request everyone in the area to come and vote. It is your duty for the future of the country... The facilities at the booth are very good..."

BJP leader and former MP Poonam Mahajan cast her vote with her family in the Bandra East constituency on Wednesday.

Actor Prem Chopra on Wednesday casted his voted by visiting a polling station. He praised the poll body for the arrangements and said, “Even though I had the option of voting from home, I still came here to cast my vote like everyone else.”

NCP leader Praful Patel said Mahayuti will get 175 seats and come back to power.

He said, "We are going to get around 175 seats. We will have a clear majority and we are coming back to power."

https://www.moneycontrol.com/entertainment/celebs-who-cast-their-vote-in-maharashtra-polls-visual-story-2624900.html

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said the assembly elections will decide Maharashtra's future and appealed to people in the state to exercise their franchise.

Talking to reporters in Baramati after casting his vote, Pawar said all the electors should exercise their right to vote.

"This election is extremely important. It will decide the future of Maharashtra. I appeal to all citizens to come out and vote," he said.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray voted for his son Amit, who is making his electoral debut from the Mahim assembly seat in Mumbai.

Talking to reporters later, Thackeray said people have seen the outcome of lower percentage in the last five years and urged voters to come out in large numbers to exercise their franchise.

On low voter turnout, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale said, "The atmosphere is good but voting percentage is low. It should be increased and people should vote. A law should be made to make voting compulsory."

He further said, "Mahayuti will get 165-170 seats, we will get a clear majority and our government will be formed."

Gadchiroli district recorded 30 percent turnout in the first four hours of voting. Aheri in the district saw 30.6 percent voting, while Armori assembly registered 30.75 percent polling.

Mumbai city district recorded 15.78 percent voting, while that of Mumbai suburban district was 17.99 percent.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday cast his vote in Mumbai, and urged people to exercise their franchise by coming out in large numbers in order to "protect the self respect of Maharashtra".

"Vote in large numbers and protect the self-respect of Maharashtra," he said.

On #MaharashtraElections2024, Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde said, "Today women will play an important role in strengthening democracy. Just as the government stood up to empower women and supported them, women will also stand with the government in the same way. In 2019, people gave a clear mandate to Mahayuti, but in the greed for power, some people formed Maha Vikas Aghadi, but in this election, people will show them their place and vote for development..."

18.14 percent voter turnout till 11 am in Maharashtra assembly elections.

15.78 percent voting in Mumbai so far.

The Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 witnessed enthusiastic participation from citizens, including prominent Bollywood celebrities who fulfilled their duty as responsible citizens by casting their votes.

Read here to find out who all voted

After casting his vote, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde said, "Today is the festival of democracy and everyone should participate and vote and this will strengthen Maharashtra, democracy. People have not forgotten what happened in 2019, the mandate was for Mahayuti but Mahayuti could not form the government."

He further said, "People have seen their (Maha Vikas Aghadi) 2.5 years of rule and have also seen our 2.5 years of rule. We started the development that they had stopped. We started many schemes including Ladli Behna... Mahayuti will form the government with a huge majority."

As many as 21 electronic voting machines (EVMs) were replaced by election authorities in Maharashtra’s Hingoli assembly constituency after they were found faulty during mock polls, officials said, adding this did not impact the voting process in the booths concerned.

Voting for assembly polls is underway in Basmath, Hingoli and Kalamnuri assembly constituencies of Hingoli district in Marathwada region.

Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) President Prakash Ambedkar said, "We had earlier predicted that the National political parties will not have much influence in the Maharashtra elections. I see the prediction is correct. Regional parties will be strengthened."

Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) President Prakash Ambedkar casts his vote in Akola

Nashik City Police Commissioner, Sandeep Karnik said "Polling is underway at 1,250 polling stations in Nashik. We have deployed a total of 3000 jawans from local police, home guards, central paramilitary forces, BDDS and others. We have identified 40 sensitive places in Nashik where paramilitary forces have been deployed. We will ensure that the orders of the District Collector and Election Officer are followed..."

On allegations against Supriya Sule and Nana Patole, BJP MP Sambit Patra said, "...There are 4 such audios of Supriya Sule... Today Supriya Sule is saying that this is AI generated, this is not my voice whereas her own brother is saying that this is her voice. So very clearly we can hear what instructions Supriya Sule is giving."

He further said, "You can also see Nana Patole how he is giving instructions to Amitabh Gupta who is the commissioner...In the chat that has taken place in the chat box, in Signal app, apart from Supriya Sule and Nana Patole, there are some other big players. If there is any biggest player in this game of loot and corruption in this country, then it is Sonia ji and Rahul ji. And the way these things are happening allegedly and crores of rupees are involved in it, 235 crores rupees which we are hearing... We would like Rahul ji to hold a press conference on this and also give clarification from his side that did he not give instructions to Nana Patole? The way Supriya Sule is instructing that don't play games with me, I need money immediately. And this transaction of Rs 235 crore is happening from Dubai, what is the reality behind it?...

On allegations against him and Supriya Sule, Maharashtra Congress president & party's candidate from Sakoli, Nana Patole said "The entire country knows my voice. PM Modi knows my voice very well. BJP has started such kind of politics as they are afraid to lose. Yesterday Vinod Tade was caught distributing money and liquor was found in the storehouse of Devendra Fandnis' PA. These people want to bring Vote jihad and liquor jihad to Maharashtra...Yesterday itself, we issued a defamation notice to him and also registered an FIR. Our legal cell will get the matter rectified. Our government is coming, we will teach such dishonest BJP a lesson in a very systematic way..."

After casting his vote, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said, "Maharashtra is a progressive and prosperous state of the country. This state receives the highest foreign investment and agricultural exports are also increasing here. It is a role model state for the country. A good government and good leadership can change the future of Maharashtra. Today is the festival of democracy, I appeal to the people to vote and exercise their democratic rights. We will win with a good majority in Maharashtra. People have to vote for development and the future of the state..."

Mahayuti will win all 6 seats in Mumbai North, said Union Minister Piyush Goyal

Piyush Goyal said, "...I am happy that people are voting in large numbers and exercising their franchise. The Election Commission has made good arrangements and I am confident that there will be more than 60% voting and Mahayuti will win all the 6 seats in North Mumbai..."

Gadchiroli district witnessed 12.33 per cent turnout in the first two hours of polling. The Armori assembly segment in the district registered 13.53 per cent polling.

In Mumbai suburban, 7.88 per cent turnout was recorded. Bhandup and Mulund suburbs saw 10.59 per cent and 10.71 per cent turnout.

Mumbai city recorded 6.25 per cent polling.

While Colaba saw 5.35 per cent turnout, Worli recorded 3.78 per cent polling, according to the election officials.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal, his wife and their son show their inked fingers after casting vote.

Actor Riteish Deshmukh said "Maha Vikas Aghadi is going to form its government in Maharashtra...Both my brothers are going to win"

Maharashtra Election Live: Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D'Souza cast their vote in Latur

Akshay Kumar, who has given up on his Canadian citizenship last year, cast his vote early morning.

Farhan Akhtar also rushed in the morning to exercise his franchise. New dad Ali Fazal also cast his vote early on.

More here.

Maharashtra BJP President and party's candidate from Kamthi, Chandrashekhar Bawankule shows his inked finger after casting a vote at a polling station in Nagpur.

6.61% voter turnout recorded till 9 am

After casting his vote, NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar said, "People should vote and I am confident that people of Maharashtra will vote in large numbers in a peaceful manner. After 23 November, it will be clear who will be given the responsibility of forming the government in the state."

On allegations against Supriya Sule, he said, "...The person who made the allegations was in jail for several months and taking that person along and making false allegations, only BJP can do this."

NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar casts his vote at a polling station in Baramati

I have filed a defamation case and a criminal case, said NCP-SP MP Supriya Sule.

BJP's Sudhanshu Trivedi alleged she and Nana Patole were involved in a crypto fraud.

She said, "I have filed a defamation case and a criminal case. I am ready to answer his (Sudhanshu Trivedi) 5 questions wherever he wants. Time of his choice, place of his choice and platform of his choice. I am ready to answer him because all the allegations are completely false."

After casting his vote, Former Indian Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar said, "I have been an icon of the ECI (Election Commission of India) for quite some time now. The message I am giving is to vote. It is our responsibility. I urge everyone to come out and vote."

Former Indian Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, his wife and their daughter cast their votes at a polling station in Mumbai

Prakash Sambhaji Shinde said, "The CM is contesting from Kopri-Pachpakhadi. I urge everyone to step out and vote. CM Shinde has done a lot of work in Maharashtra. So, the people of the state want him back as the CM...Shiv Sena had a good strike rate in Lok Sabha elections. This time too, Shive Sena will have the highest strike rate. I am hopeful... I hope that he will have a lead of at least 1.5 lakh votes because he has worked. He has been an MLA for 20 years...Mahayuti will win again..."

The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) will remain closed on November 20 on account of the Maharashtra Assembly polls. Trading in derivatives, equities, SLBs, currency derivatives, and interest rate derivatives will remain shut for the day.

Details here.

NCP-SCP MP Supriya Sule casts her vote at a polling station in Baramati.

NCP has fielded Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and NCP-SCP has fielded Yugendra Pawar from the Baramati Assembly constituency.

After casting his vote, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said, "The arrangements (at the polling station) were very good. I congratulate the Election Commission. The elections are being held in the middle of the week, so everyone is expecting a high voter turnout."

Actor Akshay Kumar shows his inked finger after casting his vote in Mumbai

He said, "The arrangements here are very good as I can see that arrangements for senior citizens are very good and cleanliness has been maintained. I want everyone to come out and cast their votes..."

I am confident Baramatikars won't forget Sharad Pawar, says NCP SP candidate Yugendra Pawar

He said, "...I am 100% confident that the people of Baramati will not forget Sharad Pawar and will bless us."

Actor Rajkummar Rao casts his vote in Mumbai

He said, "It is very important (to vote). Everyone, please step out and vote. This is the voting day, it is very important."

Mahayuti is going to form the government in Baramati, says Deputy CM Ajit Pawar after showing his inked finger.

He is also the NCP candidate from Baramati Assembly constituency.

Mumbai BJP president and candidate from Bandra West assembly constituency, Ashish Shelar casts his vote at a polling station in St. Stanislaus High School of Bandra in Mumbai.

On allegations against Supriya Sule and Nana Patole, Maharashtra Deputy CM and NCP candidate from Baramati Assembly constituency, Ajit Pawar said "Whatever audio clip is being shown, I just know that I have worked with both of them. One of them is my sister and the other is someone with whom I have worked a lot. The audio clip has their voices, I can figure out from their tone. An inquiry will be done and everything will be clear..."

In a post on X, PM Modi appealed to the women and young voters to poll in large numbers.

Reaching out to the first-time voters, the prime minister described each of their vote as a strength of the state.

fter casting his vote, Maharashtra Deputy CM and NCP candidate from Baramati Assembly constituency, Ajit Pawar said Baramatikars will make me victorious.

"Even during Lok Sabha, members of our family were contesting against each other and everyone has seen that. I tried to meet everyone in Baramati. I am hopeful that this time the people of Baramati will make me victorious," he said.

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat said, "In a democracy, voting is a citizen's duty. Every citizen should perform this duty. I was in Uttaranchal, but I came here last night to cast my vote. Everyone should vote..."

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

Maharashtra Election 2024 Live Updates: RSS chief casts his vote in Nagpur

Maharashtra Deputy CM and NCP candidate from Baramati Assembly constituency, Ajit Pawar arrives at a polling station in Baramati to cast his vote.

Polling is being held in all 288 assembly constituencies. Voting underway

Shiv Sena candidate from Mumba Devi seat, Shaina NC visits Shri Mumbadevi Temple in Mumbai to offer prayers ahead of voting.

Mumbai and Konkan assembly constituencies would see clean sweeps for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections, said Piyush Goyal on Thursday at the CNBC-TV18 Global Leadership Summit (GLS) 2024.

"Once again, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be leading from the front," said the Union Minister when asked about his projections for the upcoming state elections.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Maharashtra's deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that slogans like Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath's 'batenge to katenge' or Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'ek hain to safe hain' are slogans of unity and there is nothing wrong with them.

"In politics when someone creates a narrative then it must be countered. We saw that in the Lok Sabha polls, Congress indulged in vote jihad...Fatwas were issued by maulvis and along with that, Congress created divisions along caste lines. That means on the one hand, they polarised Muslims, and on the other, divided Hindus. Historically whenever there was a division of society, the country was divided and society suffered," he told The Indian Express, justifying the need to counter false narratives.

Mock polling being done at the polling booth at Shamarao Bapu Kapgate Sr. College Sakoli under Sakoli Assembly constituency of Bhandara district.

Mock polling underway at a polling booth in Kopri-Pachpakhadi Assembly constituency, in Thane.

Polling on all 288 Assembly constituencies of the state will begin at 7 am.

In the Baramati Assembly constituency, all eyes are on a much-anticipated contested between Nationalist Congress Party (SP) candidate Yugendra Pawar and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.

Many see the contest as the mother of all battles in the state polls, Ajit Pawar is taking on his nephew, Yugendra, in Baramati. Earlier, Ajit had tried taking on Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule by fielding his wife in the Lok Sabha polls in Baramati, only to be humbled by a resounding loss.

More here.

Deputy chief minister of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar of the Nationalist Congress party (NCP) is confident about the upcoming November 20 polls. He said that Ladki bahin yojna Is going to be a 'game changer' in this election. "Opposition has opposed it but, people had supported it, especially women," he said. He also said opposition felt they will lose vote bank, if they don’t appease it.

In an interview with CNN News18, Pawar spoke about his campaign trail, the Pawar vs Pawar battle, maratha reservations, CM face and more.

Speaking on fielding wife Sunetra Pawar in the Lok Sabha elections, Pawar said it was his mistake that people of Baramati didn't like. "It was my mistake that I fielded Sunetra in Lok Sabha from here, which people in Baramati didn’t like. I have accepted this mistake," he said. He further said Baramatikars have decided that they will support Supriya tai (Supriya Sule) for Lok Sabha and will support him in Vidhan Sabha. "They did so looking at Saheb," he added.

Full report here.

The voter count in Mumbai has crossed the one crore mark, up from 98.95 lakh during the Lok Sabha polls held earlier this year, EC data showed

At the time of the Lok Sabha polls, Mumbai had 98,95,602 eligible voters, including 25,16,667 in the island city and 74,64,974 in the suburban district, as per EC data.

In an attempt to boost voter turnout in Thane district, a one-click facility has been introduced for the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections wherein voters only have to scan QR codes to find out about polling stations.

Thane collector and election officer Ashok Shingare said the initiative aims to enhance voter convenience and participation, particularly as the Election Commission raised concerns regarding low voter turnout in the Thane and Kalyan regions.

In a setback to the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA), its Dahanu candidate Suresh Padvi joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and declared his support to the latter's nominee Vinod Medha, on the eve of the Maharashtra assembly elections.

"Instead of eating into votes, if a good candidate is elected then the development in the rural area, which has been stuck since the last five years, will be expedited. So I declared support to Vinod Medha," Padvi told reporters. "I discussed the matter with BJP's district level office-bearers and joined the party today," he said.

A high voltage drama was seen in Virar as Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) workers gheraoed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary Vinod Tawde over allegations of distributing money to influence voters on November 19, a day before polls.

The confrontation unfolded at a hotel in Virar, where BVA workers, alleged that Tawde was caught red-handed with cash.

The BVA claimed that a diary found in Tawde's bag referenced the distribution of Rs 15 crore, reports said. BVA MLA Hitendra Thakur from Vasai-Virar alleged that Tawde had arrived with Rs 5 crore in cash.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in a report released on November 13 pointed out that revenue receipts of municipal corporations showed that the top 10 such bodies account for over 58 percent of the total receipts. Leading the ranks is poll-bound Maharashtra.

At Rs 11,104 crore as per the budget estimates for FY24 Maharashtra’s municipal corporations budgeted the highest revenue surplus, beating 231 other corporations, underlining their fiscal health and urban governance, according to the RBI report.

Read full report here.

1. Stock market: The stock markets will observe trading holiday on November 20 due to assembly elections in Maharashtra. National Stock Exchange (NSE) in its notification dated November 8, said "the Exchange hereby notifies Wednesday, November 20, 2024 as a trading holiday on account of assembly elections in Maharashtra."

2. Banks: November 20 will be bank holiday across Maharashtra. Hence, there will be no physical services at public/private banks tomorrow owing to the assembly elections.

3. Offices: All government offices will remain closed across Maharashtra tomorrow. To ensure high voter turnout, private office employees have been granted paid leave. Those in emergency services will receive a four-hour window to cast their votes.

4. Educational institutions: Schools, colleges, universities and all other educational institutions will be shut across Maharashtra tomorrow. This is to ensure all those eligible to take part in the festival of democracy can cast their votes.

5. Liquor shops: Dry day will be observed across Maharashtra as per election day norms. The measure is usually in place to ensure voters cast their ballots without the influence of alcohol.

As on October 30, the updated number of registered voters stands at 9,70,25,119, PTI reported.

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.

Other than MVA (Congress, Shiv Sena UBT and NCP-SP) and Mahayuti (BJP, Shiv Sena, NCP) there are other smaller parties in the fray too.

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 is expected to see an intense battle between the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi.

In the Mahayuti alliance, the BJP is contesting the highest number of seats (148) among all the parties, followed by the Congress, which has nominated candidates for 103 seats.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena is contesting for 80 seats, while his deputy Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party will contest 53 seats.

In the MVA, the Congress has nominated candidates for 103 seats, followed by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) with 89 seats and Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) with 87. The remaining six seats were given to other allies of the MVA.