Polling for the Maharashtra Assembly elections, one of the most closely watched contests of the year, began this morning, marking the start of a pivotal electoral battle. Voters are heading to the polls across the state’s 288 assembly seats, with the outcome set to influence the state’s political future. The election is also taking place in Jharkhand, where voters in the remaining 38 constituencies are casting their ballots. The counting of votes is scheduled for Saturday.
Maharashtra’s political landscape has become a battleground between the ruling Mahayuthi alliance and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The Mahayuthi, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, the BJP, and the Nationalist Congress Party faction of Ajit Pawar, is facing off against the MVA, a coalition of Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena faction, and the Congress. This election presents a crucial opportunity for both alliances, as the ruling coalition seeks to maintain power in the wake of a recent disapproval from voters in the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year.
The Mahayuthi alliance is relying on the welfare schemes introduced by the Shinde-led government, notably the “Ladli Behen Scheme,” which aims to support women and families across the state. Shinde has argued that their initiatives cater to all sections of society, providing a strong argument to retain control of the state.
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On the other hand, the opposition is hoping for a repeat of the 2019 Lok Sabha election outcome, which saw a decisive mandate against the ruling alliance. The MVA has focused its campaign on issues such as caste census, agrarian concerns, and welfare schemes, although political analysts believe that local issues will play a key role in determining the election’s outcome.
There remains uncertainty over the leadership post on both sides. Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena is backing him for a second term as chief minister, with multiple surveys indicating his popularity among voters. However, Devendra Fadnavis, who missed out on the top post in the last election due to political compromises, is also waiting in the wings. This time, he is reportedly receiving strong backing from BJP’s chief strategist Amit Shah.
In the MVA, Uddhav Thackeray is hoping to secure the chief minister’s position, but this could be complicated by the Congress, which made a strong showing in the Lok Sabha polls and is unwilling to cede leadership to the Shiv Sena. Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan has emphasized that the party with the most seats will be in line to lead the government.
Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the second phase of elections will decide the political fate of several key figures, including Chief Minister Hemant Soren of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), his wife Kalpana Soren, and Leader of the Opposition Amar Kumar Bauri. In the 2019 assembly elections, the JMM-led coalition secured a comfortable majority with 47 seats, defeating the BJP, which had won 25 seats, a drop from its 2014 tally of 37 seats.
