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.
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The entire Maharashtra Congress top brass has found space in the first list of candidates for the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha polls even as relatives of prominent leaders have been accommodated.
Zeeshan Siddique, son of slain politician Baba Siddique, on Friday joined Ajit Pawar's NCP and will contest the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections from the Bandra East constituency.
Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said, "Rahul Gandhi expressed Baba Saheb's (BR Ambedkar) views. Our Constitution is the centerpoint of Baba Saheb's ideology. BJP is creating a fake narrative because they don't know about the Constitution."
"...BJP is going to lose in Maharashtra, BJP's alliance is going to lose, there is going to be a 'Maha-haar'...," Samajwadi Party chief and MP Akhilesh Yadav said.
Speaking to presspersons on Friday, BJP leader R Ashoka said, "As an NDA candidate, Nikhil Kumaraswamy will easily win the bypoll.Last time, Kumaraswamy took a lead of more than 25,000. This time the BJP is supporting, which means there will be a lead of more than 30,000-40,000. There is a wave of Modi ji here. Karnataka govt is corrupt with many scandals and is also looting the people. This is the reason the people of Channapatna will reject Congress. We will win all three bypoll seats..."
Milind Deora has hinted at face-off with Aaditya Thackeray in Mumbai's Worli.
Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate from Worli, Aaditya Thackeray, on Friday attacked Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde.
"This election is between those who love Maharahstra and who are against Maharashtra. We are fighting to election to stop the loot done by CM Eknath Shinde...," he said.
RJD supremo Lalu Prasad on Friday claimed that the JMM-led coalition would retain power in Jharkhand as it was "set to win" the assembly elections with a "comfortable margin".
Talking to reporters Prasad said, “The RJD will win all seats where the party is contesting in Jharkhand. We (JMM-led coalition) will once again form the government there as our alliance will win elections with a comfortable margin." When asked by journalists whether he would campaign for INDIA bloc candidates in Jharkhand or not, Prasad said, “Yes...I will soon go to Jharkhand for campaign. Tejashwi (Yadav) is already campaigning there." Elections to the 81-member Jharkhand assembly will take place in two phases on November 13 and 20.
JMM has announced its 5th list of candidates for Jharkhand polls, fielding Lois Marandi, who had defected from the BJP to the JMM, may fight from Jama seat.
Outsmarted by the I.N.D.I.A alliance in Uttar Pradesh in the recent Lok Sabha polls, the BJP, which saw its tally going down to 33 from 62 in the 2019 LS elections, is banking heavily on the Dalit and OBC support in the forthcoming assembly by-polls to counter the 'PDA' (pichda, dalit, alpsankhyak) formula of the Samajwadi Party (SP), which had helped the party (SP) reap rich electoral dividends in the state in the LS polls.
The saffron party has nominated Dalit and OBC candidates on seven of the eight seats it is contesting. It has left one seat to the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), an alliance partner of the NDA.
As many as four OBC candidates have been given tickets by the BJP in the by-polls. The other three candidates hailed from Dalit, thakur and brahmin communities respectively.
After demanding 12 seats from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra, the Samajwadi Party (SP) – a constituent of the I.N.D.I..A. bloc -- P Maharashtra unit president and three-time Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar MLA, Abu Asim Azmi said, "I am asking for more seats...but nothing has happened so far. (Sharad) Pawar sahab said that Congress people keep running to Delhi and by tomorrow they will give me the final answer...Minorities and people who believe in Dr BR Ambedkar, Gandhi ji will never vote for BJP. I am not a beggar, I am a free man, if my seats are not cleared by tomorrow, I have candidates ready, I will give the forms and make them contest the elections..."