New Delhi: Assembly Elections 2024 Live Updates: Voting is underway in 288 Assembly seats in Maharashtra, with ruling Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi contending for power in the state. Key leaders in the race including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, contesting from Kopri-Pachpakhadi, and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, defending his stronghold in Nagpur South West. NCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is seeking to retain the family bastion of Baramati.
In Jharkhand, 528 candidates, including 55 women, one third-gender candidate, and 472 men, are contesting across 38 seats in this phase. Over 1.23 crore voters, including 61 lakh women, are eligible to cast their votes. The election primarily pits the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led alliance against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Prominent candidates in Jharkhand include Chief Minister Hemant Soren, his wife Kalpana Soren, and his sister-in-law Sita Soren from the JMM.
Meanwhile, polling is also underway for the by-elections in 15 Assembly seats across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, and Uttarakhand. Nine seats in Uttar Pradesh--Meerapur, Kundarki, Ghaziabad, Khair, Karhal, Sishamau, Phulpur, Katehari, and Majhawan--are up for by-polls. In Punjab, by-elections are being held in four Assembly constituencies: Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal (SC), and Barnala.
LIVE | Nitin Gadkari Casts Vote, Says Maharashtra Is Role Model For Country
"Maharashtra is a progressive and prosperous state of the country. This state receives the highest foreign investment and agricultural exports are also increasing here. It is a role model state for the country. A good government and good leadership can change the future of Maharashtra. Today is the festival of democracy, I appeal to the people to vote and exercise their democratic rights. We will win with a good majority in Maharashtra. People have to vote for development and the future of the state," says Union Minister Nitin Gadkari after casting his vote.
LIVE | Piyush Goyal Reacts To Charges Of Money Distribution Against BJP Leader
Union Minister Piyush Goyal reacts to charges of money distribution against BJP leader Vinod Tawde: "You all know what kind of candidate is there in that area, what is his track record and background. We are not surprised by these false allegations. Vinod Tawde is a very senior leader. No one will believe such allegations."
Elections Live: Maharashtra Congress Chief Reacts To Crypto Scam Charges
On allegations against him and Supriya Sule, Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole says:
"The entire country knows my voice. PM Modi knows my voice very well. BJP has started such kind of politics as they are afraid to lose. Yesterday Vinod Tawde was caught distributing money and liquor was found in the storehouse of Devendra Fadnavis' PA. These people want to bring Vote jihad and liquor jihad to Maharashtra. Yesterday itself, we issued a defamation notice to him and also registered an FIR. Our legal cell will get the matter rectified. Our government is coming, we will teach such dishonest BJP a lesson in a very systematic way."
Samajwadi Party Alleges Unfair Practices At Moradabad Polling BoothThe Samajwadi Party alleged that at booth number 162 in Kundarki assembly constituency of Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad, the police are snatching voters' slips and stopping voting.
Maharashtra Elections Live: Sharad Pawar Casts Vote 
Actors Riteish Deshmukh, Genelia D'Souza Cast Vote In Latur
Actor couple Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D'Souza cast their votes at a polling station in Latur for Maharashtra elections.
'My Father With Me': Zeeshan Siddique Votes In Mumbai
Nationalist Congress Party candidate from Bandra East, Zeeshan Siddique cast his vote in the Maharashtra Assembly polls. "For the first time, I have come alone to vote. My father (Baba Siddique) is no more. This is different but this will have to be done. I know that my father is with me. I started my day by visiting the graveyard in the morning...I think everyone must vote," he told ANI. Mumbai's Vandre (Bandra) East constituency is witnessing a fierce battle between sitting MLA Zeeshan Siddiqui, who won on a Congress ticket in 2019 and Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray's nephew Varun Sardesai. NCP leader Baba Siddique was shot dead by three assailants near his son, MLA Zeeshan Siddique's, office in Mumbai's Nirmal Nagar on October 12.
6.6% Voter Turnout In MaharashtraTwo hours into voting, Maharashtra has recorded a turnout of 6.6 per cent till 9 am.
Some of the heavyweights in the electoral fray include Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, state Congress chief Nana Patole, state NCP(SP) chief Jayant Patil, Shiv Sena(UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, MNS nominee Amit Thackeray, former Union Minister Milind Deora and former Minister Amit Deshmukh.
Over 30,000 Cops Deployed In MumbaiMore than 30,000 police personal have been deployed on security duty in Mumbai for the Maharashtra assembly elections. Five additional commissioners of police, 20 deputy commissioners of police, 83 assistant commissioners of police, more than 2,000 other police officers and 25,000 personnel have been deployed=.
Additionally, three Riot Control Platoons have been put on duty for the purpose of maintaining order. The traffic department has separately deployed 144 officers and more than 1,000 other personnel on security duty.
Voting In Four Punjab Assembly SegmentsPolling began amid tight security at 7 am on Wednesday for bypolls to four assembly segments in Punjab. Bypolls to the Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal and Barnala assembly segments were necessitated after the incumbent lawmakers were elected to the Lok Sabha.
Forty-five candidates, including three women, are in the fray for the bypolls.
Among the key contestants in the fray are former Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Kewal Singh Dhillon, Sohan Singh Thandal and Ravikaran Singh Kahlon (BJP), Amrita Warring and Jatinder Kaur (Congress), and Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon and Ishank Kumar Chabbewal (AAP). The Shiromani Akali Dal has not fielded candidates for the bypolls, the results of which will be announced on November 23.
Polling Begins In Kerala's PalakkadVoting in the by-poll for the Palakkad Assembly constituency in Kerala, with the key contenders are Rahul Mamkootathil (Congress-led UDF), C. Krishnakumar (BJP-led NDA), and P. Sarin (CPI(M)-led LDF) in the fray.
The by-election was necessitated after Congress leader Shafi Parambil resigned as MLA of the constituency following his election to the Lok Sabha from Vadakara during the general elections.
The Palakkad constituency holds significant importance for the Congress-led UDF, not only for retaining the seat but also because their rival LDF candidate, Sarin, is the former digital media convener of the KPCC. Sarin was expelled from the Congress after he criticised the party's decision to select state Youth Congress president Mamkootathil as its candidate for the Palakkad bypoll.
Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2024: Key ContestsProminent candidates in the fray include Chief Minister Hemant Soren, his wife Kalpana Soren, and his sister-in-law Sita Soren from the JMM. Key BJP leaders in the second phase include former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi, Assembly Speaker Ravindra Nath Mahto (JMM), AJSU Party chief Sudesh Mahto, and Leader of Opposition Amar Kumar Bauri.
The election is largely a fight between Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led alliance BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Second Phase Of Jharkhand Polls On 38 SeatsIn the second phase of assembly elections, Jharkhand is witnessing with several interesting contests across 38 constituencies in 12 districts.
The first phase of the Jharkhand polls was held in 43 of 81 assembly seats on November 13. The results for all 81 constituencies will be declared on November 23, alongside those for Maharashtra Assembly elections and bypolls across several states.
A total of 528 candidates are in the fray for the 38 seats in this phase, including 55 women and one third-gender candidate and 472 male candidates. Among the 38 seats headed for polls, eight are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST) and three for Scheduled Castes (SC).
A voter turnout of 66.65 per cent was recorded across the 43 Assembly constituencies in Phase 1 of the Jharkhand polls, marking an increase of 2.75 per cent compared to 2019 assembly elections. According to the data released by the Election Commission, 37 out of the 43 constituencies saw more women casting their votes than men.
UP Bypolls: Over 30% Candidates Have Criminal CasesOver 30 per cent of the candidates contesting the bypolls in Uttar Pradesh have criminal cases against them while 48 per cent are crorepati, according to a report.
The richest candidate in the fray is BJP's Shuchismita Maurya (Majhwan) with assets worth over Rs 50 crore to her name, followed by SP's Sumbul Rana (Meerapur) who has over Rs 40 crore and SP's Singh Raj Jatav (Ghaziabad) with Rs 28 crore, it added.
The poorest three in the fray are Independent candidates. Rupesh Chandra (Ghaziabad) has total assets worth Rs 18,000 followed by Reeta Vishwakarma and Gayatri, both of whom are contesting from Phulpur and have Rs 27,000 each to their names, the report showed.
In terms of education, 33 (37 per cent) candidates have declared their educational qualifications to be between 5th and 12th standard while 49 (54 per cent) candidates are graduates or above.
NDA, INDIA Lock Horns Across Nine Uttar Pradesh SeatsBharatiya Janata Party and Samajwadi Party are in direct contest on all nine Uttar Pradesh seats - Ghaziabad, Khair, Meerapur, Kundarki, Karhal, Sisamau, Katehari, Majhawan, and Phulpur.
In Ghaziabad, BJP's Sanjeev Sharma faces SP's Singh Raj Jatav, with BSP fielding PN Garg. In Karhal (Mainpuri), a high-stakes battle unfolds in the SP stronghold. SP's Tej Pratap Yadav, grandson of Mulayam Singh Yadav, faces BJP's Anujesh Pratap Singh Yadav, a relative of the same family.
The Katehari seat fell vacant after Lalji Verma's elevation to MP. His wife is the SP candidate, while BJP has fielded Dharmaraj Nishad and BSP has put forward Amit Verma. Kundarki Assembly seat is in BJP state president Bhupendra Chaudhary's home district. Here BJP's Ramveer Thakur is taking on SP's Haji Rizwan. BSP's Rafatullah and candidates from AIMIM and Azad Samaj Party further make it a multi-cornered contest.
BJP Congress' poll planks in KedarnathPrime Minister Narendra Modi's association with Kedarnath and his direct involvement in the reconstruction projects worth more than Rs 2,000 crore launched in Kedarpuri after he came to power at the Centre has been one of BJP's major poll planks.
Alongside that, the party has also been highlighting the introduction of a strict anti-conversion law, crackdown on land jihad and the passage of Uniform Civil Code (UCC) as bold measures taken by the state government to stop the changing demography of the hill state to woo the voters.
Lack of development, BJP's alleged protection for the killers of Ankita Bhandari, mismanagement of the Chardham Yatra during the July 31 disaster and the state government's support to the construction of a replica of Kedarnath in Delhi are some of the issues the Congress has raised to win voters.
Straight BJP-Congress fight in Uttarakhand's KedarnathIn Kedarnath, the BJP and Congress locked once again in a straight contest in the assembly constituency where the stakes are high for both the parties. While the BJP faces the challenge of retaining the seat, the Congress is looking to ensure the BJP's defeat in yet another Hindutva seat after Badrinath.
BJP nominee Asha Nautiyal, who is also the state BJP Mahila Morcha president, is one of the candidates in the race to succeed MLA Shaila Rani Rawat, who died in July this year. She faces Congress nominee Manoj Rawat, a journalist-turned-politician.
Of the five assembly elections held in Kedarnath so far, the BJP has won thrice and the Congress twice.