A polling official arranges election material at a center on the eve of voting for the Maharashtra Assembly polls, in Mumbai.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: Hours before voters seal the fate of 4,136 candidates running in the 288 Vidhan Sabha seats in Maharashtra the game to reach the magic figure has already started in what was the one-of-the-most-difficult election to predict.
Of the 4,136 candidates, 326 are women and two from third gender.
The total number of voters in Maharashtra is 9,70,25,119.
The voting to the 15th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly would be held on November 20 while the counting for votes would be taken up on November 23.
The tenure of the 14th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly ends on November 26 hence the two political formations need to put things together fast and stake claim to form the government.
The magic figure or the simple majority in Maharashtra is 145.
Both, the Maha Yuti (NDA) comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (I.N.D.I.A.) including the Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar-headed NCP (SP), on Tuesday claimed to get 170-180 sets and comfortably form the government.
However, with several regional parties and players and a large number of Independents - which include rebels of the six big parties - contesting the elections, the two sides may have to take support from others.
A whopping 2,086 Independent candidates are in fray in - an indication that they would play an important role in the government formation.
"In Maharashtra, the last time the Congress crossed 100 was in 1990 when it got 141 seats. After that the era of coalition politics started, which involved BJP and Shiv Sena on one side and Congress and NCP on the other. However, in 2014 and 2019, the BJP crossed the 100-mark having won 122 and 105 seats, respectively. This time we have three parties on each side making the situation complex. There would be a lot of post-poll developments," political observers said, adding that some politicians have already indicated this.
Besides, settling the issue of which party would have the post of Chief Minister or whether rotational - is going to be the most contentious issue.
The leadership of both the rather-incompatible alliances have reached out to the rebel candidates and independents trying their luck in the polls.
Political pundits and intelligence department sources have predicted a close call, however, with the opinion polls going wrong in the Lok Sabha polls and Haryana state polls, this is the most difficult election to predict.
Of the 288 assembly seats, 234 are classified as general constituencies, 29 are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC), and 25 for Scheduled Tribes (ST).
The MahaYuti, during the campaign focused on its flagship schemes like Ladki Bahin Yojana, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi give the narrative of ‘ek hai toh safe hai’ while Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath gave the slogan - ‘batange to katange’.
For the MVA, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge combated the ruling combine’s rhetoric by focusing on issues like caste-based census, social justice, and protecting the Constitution.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
Subscribe and follow DH on Whatsapp, X, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram to never miss out on anything.