Maharashtra Election 2024 LIVE Updates: Turnout of 45% till 3pm was surprisingly low; Mumbai city is the lowest at 39%

Maharashtra Election 2024 LIVE Updates: Voting is on for all 288 seats of the Maharashtra legislative assembly today, November 20. A total of 4,136 candidates are competing in the elections.

Voting started at 07:00 and will continue until 18:00.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to the state’s voters to vote in large numbers as voting opens for Maharashtra’s 288 seats. “Voting will be held today for all seats in the Maharashtra Assembly elections. I call on the voters of the state to be a part of this with all their enthusiasm and contribute to the glory of the democracy day. I take this opportunity to appeal to all young and women voters to vote in large numbers,” Modi said in a post on channel X.

The rivalry in Maharashtra is largely bipolar. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in alliance with Ajit Pawar-led NCP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena under the ruling Mahayuti banner, is contesting against the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT). NCP (Sharad Pawar) and Congress party.

Of the 288 assembly seats, 234 come under the general category, 29 are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) and 25 for Scheduled Tribes (ST).

Voting will be held in 1,00,186 polling stations across 52,789 locations. This includes 42,604 urban voting booths and 57,582 rural voting booths. Of these 299 polling stations, one is run by Persons with Disabilities (PwD).

According to the updated voter list, there are around 9.7 crore (97 million) voters in Maharashtra. This includes 4.97 crore male voters and 4.66 crore female voters. There are 1.85 crore young voters (18-29), including 20.93 lakh first-time voters (18-19).

2019 Parliamentary Elections

The 2019 assembly elections in Maharashtra saw 61.4 per cent voter turnout. The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) of the BJP and Shiv Sena (SHS) won the majority. The alliance broke up due to differences over government formation, leading to a political crisis.

The state has had three different chief ministers in the last five years. These include Devendra Fadavis of the BJP, Uddhav Thackeray of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Eknath Shinde of the Shiv Sena (SHS).

The two major regional parties – Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) also witnessed divisions that led to alliances in power and opposition.

High Political Risks

Political risks have never been higher in Maharashtra. The rivalry is more than a power struggle as key players vie for control in one of India’s richest states. While for many this is a test of their leadership legacy, for others it is a fight for political survival.

The high-decibel campaign saw many prominent national leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Union ministers, touring the state to rally support for Mahayuti and MVA candidates.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, the BJP lost ground in Maharashtra. It won only nine of the 28 seats it contested in 2024, compared to 23 of the 25 seats it contested in the 2019 general election.

The results in Maharashtra will test the BJP’s momentum after its Haryana win. The election will be another test for the INDIA bloc as key players in the opposition alliance are in the fray here.

The election is testing the BJP’s ability to stay in power with the help of regional parties – in this case, Shiv Sena and NCP factions. A victory in Maharashtra will certainly strengthen the BJP’s reach beyond its traditional strongholds in the north.