Counting underway for Maharashtra, Jharkhand assembly elections

PTC News Desk: The counting for Maharashtra, Jharkhand along with 15 other by polls began at 8:00 pm on Saturday. The results will decide the fate of 288 seats in Maharashtra and 81 in Jharkhand. The trends are expected to be released in first few hours. 

In Maharashtra, the polling for the Legislative Assembly was held on Wednesday, with a turnout of over 66 percent, surpassing the 61 percent recorded in the 2019 elections. The Mahayuti alliance, which includes the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, is in a tough contest with the MVA alliance consisting of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP). Both alliances view the increased voter turnout as a sign of support for their respective campaigns.

State Chief Electoral Officer S Chockalingam praised efforts to increase voter participation, especially in Mumbai. "The Election Commission of India gave significant focus, attention, and time to Maharashtra this time. Each strategy was conceptualised and implemented with high precision. This resulted in a significant addition to the voter list between the Parliament election and the current election. Efforts were made to ease voting, especially in places like Mumbai, where there were challenges during the Parliament elections. This time, everyone appreciated the arrangements," he said.

In Jharkhand, the first phase of polling took place on November 13, covering 43 of the 81 assembly seats. The contest is between the JMM-led alliance, comprising Congress, RJD, and CPI(ML), and the BJP-led NDA alliance, which includes AJSU, JD(U), and LJP. Exit polls predict the NDA could win between 42-47 seats, while the JMM-led alliance is expected to secure 25-30 seats.