The Election Commission of India (ECI) is set to announce the schedule for the upcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand today.
The term of the Maharashtra Assembly will conclude on November 26, while the Jharkhand Assembly’s term ends on January 5, 2025.
Maharashtra Assembly Elections
The Maharashtra elections are expected to see a major showdown between two key alliances. On one side is the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP – Sharad Pawar faction), and the Congress. On the other side is the ruling Mahayuti Alliance, consisting of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), and the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction).
In the recent parliamentary elections, the BJP-led Mahayuti secured only 17 out of Maharashtra’s 48 Lok Sabha seats. The BJP’s tally dropped to just nine seats, a significant decline from the 23 seats it held five years earlier. In contrast, the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance won 30 seats, showcasing its rising influence in the state.
In the 2019 Assembly elections, the BJP and the undivided Shiv Sena initially formed the government, but a political split followed soon after. The BJP had secured 105 seats, while the Congress won 44 seats in that election.
Jharkhand Assembly Elections
The Jharkhand Assembly elections are expected to take place by December 2024, as the current assembly’s term expires in early January 2025. The elections will cover 81 constituencies, comprising 44 general seats, nine reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC), and 28 for Scheduled Tribes (ST).
On September 24, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar led an ECI delegation to Ranchi, where they conducted a comprehensive review of election preparedness in Jharkhand. The ECI emphasized the importance of curbing the misuse of money and directed central and state enforcement agencies to ensure a fair election process.
In the 2019 elections, Jharkhand held polling in five phases, while Maharashtra conducted its elections in a single phase.
Speaking to ANI, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari expressed confidence in the party’s prospects in both states. “The BJP and NDA are fully prepared for the Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections. Just as Haryana has supported the BJP-led NDA government, we are confident Maharashtra will do the same.”
Bhandari also criticized Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, claiming that the people are frustrated with what he called the “vote-bank and corrupt politics” of the state government. He said, “Voters in Jharkhand are eager for a pro-development, pro-tribal government under the BJP. We are confident that under the leadership of the Prime Minister, both states will elect BJP governments.”
(With ANI input)