EC announces assembly poll dates for Maharashtra, Jharkhand, results to be declared on Nov 23

The Election Commission Oct 15 announced Maharashtra will vote in one phase on November 20, while Jharkhand will go to polls in two phases on November 13 and 20, setting the stage for another round of contest between a buoyant BJP and the opposition INDIA bloc, which has been jolted by the Congress' shock Haryana defeat.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced at a press conference that the counting of votes will be held on Nov 23, a day before the current Maharashtra assembly completes its term.

Flanked by Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and S S Sandhu, Kumar also said the bypolls to 47 assembly seats and Wayanad Lok Sabha seats will be held on Nov 13.

The Wayanad Lok Sabha seat was vacated by Rahul Gandhi, who has also won from the Rae Bareli parliamentary constituency which he kept.

The Congress on Oct 15 announced Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will contest the bypoll from the Wayanad parliamentary seat.

Bypolls for the Kedarnath assembly seat and Nanded Lok Sabha seat will be held on Nov 20.

Bypolls are also scheduled to be held for the Basirhat parliamentary seat in West Bengal and Milkipur assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh, but were not announced as election petitions have been filed for both the seats.

The elections will be held in two phases in 81-strong assembly in Jharkhand this time around as against five in 2019.

The CEC said it was not possible to conduct the assembly elections in Jharkhand in a single phase due to security reasons, but it is noteworthy that the number of phases has been brought down from five in 2019 to two this year.

In a bid to address the issue of urban apathy, the Election Commission has decided to hold voting on Wednesday, with an aim to discourage voters from going on vacations if the exercise is clubbed with weekends.

The BJP aims to retain power in 288-strong Maharashtra assembly with allies Shiv Sena, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and the NCP led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is facing a challenge from the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition of the Congress-NCP(SP)-Shiv Sena (UBT), which hopes to repeat its performance in the Lok Sabha elections. The opposition MVA alliance won 31 of the 48 seats in Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha elections.

NCP-SP chief Sharad Pawar, considered the architect of the MVA coalition in Maharashtra, declared that he will not rest until he puts Maharashtra on the "right track" regardless of his age.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said the state awaits a "strong mandate" to the Mahayuti alliance in the next month's assembly elections for its development.

The ruling Mahayuti alliance led by the BJP has 202 members in the 288-member assembly. The BJP is the single largest party with 102 members followed by the NCP (40), Shiv Sena (38), and smaller outfits and Independents adding 22 members.

The opposition MVA coalition has 71 members in the assembly. Congress has 37 members followed by Shiv Sena-UBT (16), NCP-SP (12), SP (2), CPI(M) (1), PWPI (1). AIMIM has two members in the state assembly, where 15 seats are vacant.

In the 81-member Jharkhand assembly, the Congress is playing second fiddle to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren as they try to retain power, as the BJP looks to make a comeback.

In the 2019 assembly elections, the contest was close, with the JMM winning 30 seats and the BJP securing 25, down from 37 in 2014. The JMM-Congress-RJD alliance won a comfortable majority with 47 seats in the 81-member assembly.

The BJP has announced that its seat-sharing arrangement within the NDA is "almost final," with the first list of candidates expected within the next two days.

According to the proposed arrangement, the Sudesh Mahto-led AJSU Party will contest 9-11 seats, while the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) will field candidates in two constituencies. Talks regarding seat-sharing with LJP (Ram Vilas) are scheduled for Oct 16 or Oct 17, pending the return of its chief Chirag Paswan from abroad.

On Monday, Soren confirmed that the JMM-led alliance will contest all 81 seats, although seat-sharing among the allies is yet to be finalized. The Congress said it will contest the polls in alliance with the JMM, with a decision on seat-sharing expected soon.

Currently, the strength of the assembly stands at 74, with the JMM-led ruling alliance comprising 44 members — 26 from the JMM, 17 from Congress, and one from RJD.

(PTI)