ECI Announces Maharashtra and Jharkhand Poll Dates: Results on Nov 23
With regional dynamics in play and the national parties vying for dominance, the outcome of these elections will significantly impact both Maharashtra and Jharkhand’s political landscapes.
New Delhi: The Election Commission of India has announced that Assembly elections for Maharashtra and Jharkhand will be held in two phases starting from November 13, 2024. Jharkhand will vote in two phases on November 13 and November 20, while Maharashtra will vote in a single phase on November 20. The counting of votes for both states is scheduled for November 23.
In Jharkhand’s 2019 elections, Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), part of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), secured 47 out of 82 seats. Meanwhile, in Maharashtra, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the (then undivided) Shiv Sena dominated with 161 of the 288 Assembly seats. However, political turmoil ensued when the Sena broke away over power-sharing disagreements and formed a coalition government with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress. This coalition government collapsed in 2023 following internal rebellions, leading to the rise of Eknath Shinde’s and Ajit Pawar’s factions.
These Assembly elections are significant as they represent the final round of state polls in 2024. The BJP, which currently holds power in Maharashtra alongside the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and NCP (Pawar faction), aims to cap off the year on a high after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic re-election earlier in 2024. The party also triumphed in elections in Haryana and Odisha, marking its first-ever government in Odisha and a third consecutive victory in Haryana.
For the Congress, these elections are critical after a series of setbacks, including losses in Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir. The Congress’s recent loss in Haryana, despite early leads, sparked internal criticism and renewed debates about its approach to alliances and regional parties. Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena faction has particularly voiced concerns about the Congress’s inability to manage its coalition partners effectively.
With regional dynamics in play and the national parties vying for dominance, the outcome of these elections will significantly impact both Maharashtra and Jharkhand’s political landscapes.
