Maharashtra To Vote On November 20, Jharkhand In Two Phases, Results On November 23

The Election Commission announced Tuesday that the Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly elections will begin on November 13. Jharkhand will vote in two phases on November 13 and 20, while Maharashtra will have a single-phase election on November 20. Vote counting for both states will occur on November 23.

Additionally, dates for several Lok Sabha bypolls were revealed, including Kerala’s Wayanad seat, which Rahul Gandhi vacated after winning the Raebareli seat in Uttar Pradesh.

2019 Maharashtra, Jharkhand Election Recap

In the 2019 Jharkhand election Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha – part of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance – won 47 of the state’s 82 seats.

In Maharashtra, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the (then undivided) Shiv Sena dominated, winning 161 of 288 seats. However, the alliance broke down over sharing of power and the Sena joined hands with the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress to form the government.

That government, however, lasted only till 2023; rebellions by the Sena’s Eknath Shinde – now the Chief Minister – and the NCP’s Ajit Pawar – now Mr Shinde’s deputy – forced then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to resign and his coalition Maha Vikas Aghadi government to fall.

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2024 Maharashtra Assembly Election Overview

As the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections approach, the ruling BJP, in alliance with factions that separated from the Shiv Sena and NCP, aims to capitalize on its recent success in the April-June general elections, where Narendra Modi secured a third term as Prime Minister. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is focusing on his flagship Ladki Bahin Yojana, a ₹46,000-crore annual welfare scheme providing poor women with a monthly stipend of ₹1,500, to gain voter support after a lackluster performance in the Lok Sabha elections, where the Mahayuti alliance won only 17 out of 48 seats.

For the Congress party, these elections are crucial following a disappointing outcome in Haryana, where it was expected to win but instead lost to the BJP. The Congress has faced criticism for its internal issues, particularly regarding seat-sharing and local leadership disputes, which contributed to its electoral failure.

Despite the Haryana setback, the Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena maintains that their alliance with Congress remains strong, although there are calls from opposition leaders for Congress to reassess its approach to seat-sharing with regional partners.

2024 Jharkhand Assembly Election Overview

In Jharkhand, the upcoming assembly election is expected to be heavily influenced by allegations of money laundering against Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on January 31 but secured bail in June after the Supreme Court stated he was not, prima facie, guilty. Soren has denied the charges, claiming the BJP orchestrated his arrest to undermine the opposition ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

This election marks the final round of state polls for the year. Recently, the BJP retained power in Haryana, defeating Congress, while the National Conference-Congress alliance won the first Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir in a decade. The BJP also formed its first government in Odisha and achieved significant victories in Andhra Pradesh.

The election outcomes in Haryana and J&K have shifted focus onto the Congress’ leadership role within the opposition bloc, which managed to limit the BJP to 240 seats in the Lok Sabha, falling short of a majority.

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