Maharashtra election highlights: Exit polls predict Mahayuti's win; MVA to fall short of majority
Live Maharashtra election: Exit polls predict Mahayuti set to retain power, while MVA puts up a strong showing in the assembly elections after voting concluded on 288 seats.
- 10:26 PM IST, Nov 20 Exit polls do not reflect people's sentiment, says Chennithala
- 9:44 PM IST, Nov 20 ED Raids employee of audit firm over alleged bitcoin use in polls
- 9:31 PM IST, Nov 20 BJP-Mahayuti will benefit from increased voting percentage, says Devendra Fadnavis
- 9:07 PM IST, Nov 20 Cong's Praniti Shinde backs independent in Solapur South against Sena (UBT)
- 9:01 PM IST, Nov 20 Seizures reach ₹707 cr; over 10,000 C-Vigil complaints resolved
- 8:52 PM IST, Nov 20 58.43% voter turnout registered in polls
- 8:39 PM IST, Nov 20 Congress leader alleges poll code violation by CM Shinde
- 7:50 PM IST, Nov 20 Exit polls predict Mahayuti ahead in Maharashtra, MVA short of majority
- 7:21 PM IST, Nov 20 ‘Dismal record’ of metropolitan voters continues, say EC
- 7:00 PM IST, Nov 20 Shah Rukh Khan casts vote with wife Gauri, children Aryan, Suhana
- 6:48 PM IST, Nov 20 Marathwada region records 60.63%
- 6:31 PM IST, Nov 20 Voting for assembly polls conclude across the state
- 6:29 PM IST, Nov 20 Actor Shakti Kapoor casts his vote in Mumbai
- 6:19 PM IST, Nov 20 Salman Khan casts his vote
Live Maharashtra election: Voting for the Maharashtra assembly election concluded at 6 pm. The state has recorded 62.05% voter turnout till as per data from the Election Commission of India (ECI) as of 10.35 pm. Maoist-infested Gadchiroli recorded the highest voter turnout at 69.63%, while Mumbai city recorded the lowest at 49.07% as of 5 pm. The results will be declared on November 23....Read More
Track Maharashtra exit poll results live updates here
The high-stakes campaign wrapped up on Monday, featuring prominent leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who urged voters to participate in large numbers.
Maharashtra is witnessing a showdown between two major political alliances: the ruling coalition ‘Mahayuti’ comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and the Opposition's Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) that included the Indian National Congress (INC), Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP).
Read more: Mahayuti or MVA? Voters in 288 seats to decide fate of 4,136 candidates today | Key points
According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), a total of 4,136 candidates are in the fray for the Vidhan Sabha elections in the state, a rise of 27.7 per cent over the number five years ago.
As many as 1,00,186 polling stations have been established across over 52,789 locations, to accommodate the approximately 9.7 crore eligible voters in the state. Among these polling stations, there are 388 "pink booths" specifically managed by women as well.
In a survey conducted between September 21 and October 6, 2024, Lokniti-Centre for the Study of Developing Societies and the MIT-School of Government (MIT-SOG), they identified unemployment and inflation at the top of the list of voter concerns, with 24 per cent and 22 per cent of respondents respectively considering them as their primary issues.
Agricultural distress also emerged as a significant concern for rural voters, due to inadequate minimum support prices (MSPs) for their produce and rising input costs.
Another critical issue that has emerged is the call for caste-based reservations, which has created friction, particularly between the Maratha community and OBC communities.
In light of NCP leader Baba Siddique’s death and a police encounter with a rape accused in Badlapur, several opposition parties have focused on the “deteriorating law and order situation” in the state under Eknath Shinde’s leadership.
Maharashtra election 2024: Key updates
- Uddhav Thackeray, the chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), accused the BJP of participating in a "note jihad" to secure votes, citing allegations that BJP leader Vinod Tawde distributed cash in Palghar. Tawde has refuted these claims, labeling them as a baseless publicity stunt.
- Supriya Sule of the NCP (SP) has filed a complaint to the election commission as well as a defamation suit after BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi alleged that she and Congress leader Nana Patole had illegally used cryptocurrency funds to rig the assembly elections in their favour.
- The ECI has prohibited political parties from publishing advertisements in print media on November 19 and 20 unless these ads have been pre-certified by the ‘Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC).
- The voter count in Mumbai has surpassed 1 crore, up from 98.95 lakh during the Lok Sabha elections.
- Navi Mumbai police has launched a one-click facility for voters, offering information on polling booths, parking, and crowd status via a QR code.
- A case has been filed against four unidentified individuals for the attempted murder of NCP (SP) leader Anil Deshmukh, after he was injured in a stone-pelting incident while returning from a campaign event in Nagpur on November 18.
- The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) will remain closed today due to the Maharashtra assembly elections
- Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate Zeeshan Siddiqui, contesting from Bandra East, cast his vote in the Maharashtra Assembly elections on Wednesday. Siddiqui, who recently joined the NCP, paid tribute to his late father, Baba Siddiqui, who was tragically killed, and shared that it was the first time he had voted alone.
Maharashtra Election 2024 live: PM Modi appeals to ‘youth and women' to turn out in large numbers for polls
Maharashtra Election 2024 live: Prime minister Narendra Modi took to social media platform X to deliver a message on the occasion of the Vidhan Sabha polls in Maharashtra.
In his post he said, “Today, votes will be cast for all the seats of Maharashtra Assembly elections. I urge the voters of the state to be a part of it with full enthusiasm and add to the splendor of the festival of democracy. On this occasion, I appeal to all the youth and women voters to vote in large numbers.”
Maharashtra Election 2024 live: More candidates than ever in polls, 4,136 candidates compete in Maharashtra
Maharashtra Election 2024 live: According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), a total of 4,136 candidates are in the fray for the Vidhan Sabha elections in the state, a rise of 27.7 per cent over the number five years ago.
Close to 9.7 crore eligible voters will decide the fate of the state in the voting process today. Voting will take place in a single phase across 288 constituencies in the state from 7 am to 6 pm.
Maharashtra Election 2024 live: ₹660 crore seized before elections under MCC
Maharashtra Election 2024 live: Seizures of cash, alcohol, and other items worth ₹660 crore were conducted under the Model Code of Conduct enforced by the election commission ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections, reported news agency PTI.
As per information shared by chief electoral officer in the state, 8,678 complaints were lodged across Maharashtra via the Election Commission's C-Vigil app from October 15, when the model code of conduct kicked in, to November 18.
A record 8,668 complaints were resolved.
Maharashtra Election 2024 live: In a first, Mumbai's voter count surpasses one crore mark
Maharashtra Election 2024 live: Maharashtra's capital city has for the first time surpassed one crore registered voters ahead of polling for the state assembly elections, reported news agency ANI.
Mumbai has 1,02,29,708 eligible voters - among which 54,67,361 are males, 47,61,265 females, and 1,082 transgender persons.
1,46,859 voters are above 85 years, while 23,928 are persons with disabilities.
Maharashtra Election 2024 live: Mock polling begins in Sakoli constituency
Maharashtra Election 2024 live: Mock polling has begun in select polling booths in several assembly constituencies, such as Sakoli, ahead of the actual polling which will begin at 7 am across all 288 constituencies in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra Election 2024 live: Security tightened ahead of voting process in Mumbai
Maharashtra Election 2024 live: Security has been beefed up in Mumbai ahead of the voting process in the Maharashtra assembly elections, which will begin at 7 am and end at 6 pm, reported news agency ANI.
The police are checking vehicles and have made arrangements to maintain law and order in the city, to ensure a smooth and fair polling process.
Maharashtra Election 2024 live: Supriya Sule accuses BJP of ‘spreading misinformation’ over election manipulation allegation
Maharashtra Election 2024 live: BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi on Monday accused NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule and Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole of using illegal cryptocurrency transactions to change the results of the elections.
Supriya Sule has filed a complaint with the election commission and denied the allegations, stating that the BJP was using “familiar tactics of spreading misinformation to manipulate righteous voters”.
Maharashtra Election 2024 live: ‘Cash-for-votes’ row with BJP leader Tawde
Maharashtra Election 2024 live: BJP's national general secretary Vinod Tawde, was purportedly seen, in a viral video, handing out cash to encourage voters to cast their vote for the BJP on November 19, a day before polling.
Tawde has denied allegations of distributing money on the eve of polling. Opposition leaders have called for the election commission to investigate anf for the Supreme Court to take cognisance as well.
Workers of the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) protested outside a hotel located in the Nalasopara assembly constituency in Palghar district accusing the BJP of “distributing money.”
Maharashtra Election 2024 live: State gears up for battle between Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi
Maharashtra Election 2024 live: Maharashtra is all set for it's first assembly elections since two major parties, the Shiv Sena and the NCP split in two factions.
Campaigning for the elections officially concluded on November 19. As many as 1,00,186 polling stations have been established across over 52,789 locations, reported news agency ANI.
A total of 4,136 candidates are in the fray which includes 2,086 independents.
The BJP is contesting in 149 seats, Shiv Sena 81, and NCP 59 constituencies. The Congress has fielded 101 candidates, Shiv Sena (UBT) 95, and NCP (SP) has fielded 86 candidates. BSP is contesting on 237 seats.
