Maharashtra, Jharkhand assembly election dates announced; results on November 23

Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly election dates 2024: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday, October 15, announced the dates for the Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly polls 2024. Maharashtra will go to polls on November 20, while polling will be held in two phases in Jharkhand on November 13 and November 20. The counting of votes will be held on November 23.
The Election Commission had convened a press conference in New Delhi at 3.30pm on Tuesday to announce the details.
Rajiv Kumar said the date of issue of Gazette notification for the Maharashtra assembly election is October 22, last date of filing nominations is October 29, the date for scrutiny of nominations will be October 30 and the last date for withdrawal of candidatures is November 4.
While the term of the 288-member Maharashtra assembly ends on November 26, that of Jharkhand ends on January 5 next year.
“There are 9.63 crore eligible voters in Maharashtra while the number of eligible voters in Jharkand is 2.6 crore,” Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said at a press conference here.
Bye-elections to 47 assembly seats and the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat will be held on November 13.
The upcoming Maharashtra election will see a key contest between the Maha Vikas Aghadi (Shiv Sena-UBT, NCP-Sharad Pawar faction, Congress) and the ruling Mahayuti Alliance (BJP, Shiv Sena-Eknath Shinde faction, NCP-Ajit Pawar faction).
In the 2019 assembly election, the BJP won 105 seats, while the Congress secured 44. The BJP’s performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections saw a drop, winning only nine seats out of 48, compared to 23 in the previous term, while the Maha Vikas Aghadi won 30 seats.
The Jharkhand assembly’s term ends on January 5, 2025, and elections for 81 constituencies (44 General, 9 SC, 28 ST) are expected by December 2024.
On September 24, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar led a review of poll preparations in Ranchi, urging agencies to curb money power in elections.
In 2019, Jharkhand’s elections were held in five phases. BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari expressed confidence in a pro-incumbency vote for BJP, criticizing Hemant Soren’s governance and anticipating a BJP-led government in Jharkhand.
Maharashtra held its assembly election on October 21, 2019, with the results declared on October 24, 2019.
Jharkhand’s election was conducted in five phases from November 30 to December 20, 2019, and the results were announced on December 23, 2019.
These elections were pivotal in shaping the political landscape in both states, with major party alliances and outcomes significantly impacting governance.