The Election Commission has announced the dates for the upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, along with the schedule for by-elections across various states. These elections are set to take place in November 2024, with both states gearing up for an intense political battle.
The polling in Jharkhand will be conducted in two phases on November 13 and 20, while Maharashtra will witness a single-phase election on November 20. Votes for both states will be counted on November 23, making this a crucial political event ahead of the winter.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar revealed these dates during a press conference, underscoring the significance of these polls in shaping the future political landscape. In Jharkhand, approximately 2.60 crore voters are eligible to participate, with 1.31 crore male and 1.29 crore female voters.
Notably, the state has 11.84 lakh first-time voters and 66.84 lakh young voters, which could potentially influence the election outcome. The state’s election will be held across 81 constituencies, with the voter distribution consisting of 44 general seats, nine seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC), and 28 for Scheduled Tribes (ST).
The formal notification for Jharkhand’s two-phase election will be issued on October 18 and 22. The last date for filing nominations is October 25 for the first phase and October 29 for the second phase.
The scrutiny of nominations will take place on October 28 and 30, respectively, while the final date for withdrawing nominations is October 30 and November 1. This process will pave the way for an intense campaign period where key political players will work to secure the people's mandate.
In Maharashtra, the election will be held across all 288 assembly constituencies in a single phase. The notification for this election will be issued on October 22. Candidates have until October 29 to submit their nominations, which will be scrutinised on October 30.
The final date for withdrawal of nominations is November 4. With the election less than a month away, political parties are gearing up for a high-stakes contest.
Maharashtra’s assembly election is expected to be a closely fought battle between the ruling Mahayuti Alliance, which includes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena, and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, consisting of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction), NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), and Congress.
The MVA performed well in the state’s recent parliamentary elections, securing 30 out of 48 seats, while the BJP’s seat count dropped to nine, down from 23 in the previous election. In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly election, the BJP won 105 seats, and the Congress secured 44 seats.
With this electoral backdrop, the upcoming assembly elections are seen as a litmus test for the BJP and its allies, as well as the opposition MVA, which aims to reclaim power.
Political leaders have already begun expressing their views on the upcoming elections. Keshav Mahto Kamlesh, the Jharkhand Congress president, welcomed the Election Commission’s announcement and expressed confidence that the people of Jharkhand would once again choose the alliance government.
He highlighted the government’s preparedness and the people's desire for continuity. Meanwhile, in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut was vocal about his belief that the ruling Mahayuti Alliance would be ousted from power.
He raised concerns about the election process, warning that the influence of money and potential tampering with electronic voting machines (EVMs) could affect the results. Nevertheless, Raut expressed optimism, stating that the government, which he called “unconstitutional,” would be replaced.
NCP working president Praful Patel also weighed in on the upcoming Maharashtra elections, emphasising that the people would vote for development, good governance, and stability. He expressed confidence that the ruling alliance, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, would return to power in Maharashtra.
Patel cited the recent elections in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir as examples of how the electorate favoured stability and development, and he predicted similar outcomes in Maharashtra.
In addition to the assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, the Chief Election Commissioner also announced by-elections for 48 assembly seats and two parliamentary constituencies. These bypolls will take place in two phases on November 13 and November 20.
The by-elections are particularly important in constituencies that have been left vacant due to various reasons. One of the high-profile bypolls is for the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, which will take place on November 13. Additionally, Nanded in Maharashtra and the Kedarnath Assembly seat in Uttarakhand will also go to the polls on November 20.
By-elections will be held in several states, including Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal. The results of these by-elections will be announced on November 23, the same day as the Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly election results.
The CEC, accompanied by Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, outlined the schedule for these elections and emphasised the importance of maintaining free, fair, and transparent polls.
The upcoming elections and by-elections mark a significant moment in India’s political calendar, with the potential to alter the balance of power in key states and constituencies.
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