Maharashtra Election Live News: Voting on across 288 seats since 7 am; only 33% turnout till 3 pm
Voting in Maharashtra, to elect the next government in the state, ended today. Polling began at 7 am this morning and was over by 6 pm today. The voter turnout till 3 pm was only 34.2 per cent, significantly down when compared to the turnout till 3 pm in 2014. The final voter turnout was registered at 60.5% for Maharashtra. This is the first state election, or assembly election after this year's national election, which the BJP won by a landslide. For the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, the BJP and Shiv Sena are contesting in an alliance, while the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party or NCP are contesting together in the other big alliance.
Several regional parties are also contesting either in alliance with these two bigger alliances, or independently. The Maharashtra Assembly election is due as the incumbent Devendra Fadnavis-led Bharatiya Janata Party in the state has completed its 5-year term, and the next government in the state must be elected and sworn in by November 9, when the current term ends.
Here are the voting day highlights for The Maharashtra Assembly Election 2019:
Maharashtra Election 2019: 59 VVPATs, 19 EVMs replaced in Maharashtra's Nagpur: news agency PTI
As many as 59 Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units and 19 Electronic Voting Machines were replaced in Nagpur district due to glitches on Monday, reported news agency PTI.
Fifty-nine VVPAT machines, 34 control units and 19 ballot units (EVMs) were replaced due to technical glitches in 12 assembly constituencies of the district, the District information office said, according to PTI.
Maharashtra Election 2019: Final voter turnout till 6 pm registered at 60.5%, says Election Commission at a press conference
Final voter turnout for the Maharashtra elections till 6 pm registered at 60.5%, says Election Commission
Maharashtra Election 2019: Voting ends in Maharashtra
BREAKING: Voting ends in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra Election 2019: BREAKING: Voter turnout till 5 pm in Maharashtra was recorded at 44.6%
Voter turnout till 5 pm in Maharashtra was recorded at 44.6%
Maharashtra Election Live News: BJP national working president JP Nadda to hold a meeting with party's General Secretaries tomorrow at BJP HQ over Maharashtra elections
BJP national working president JP Nadda to hold a meeting with party's General Secretaries tomorrow at BJP HQ over Maharashtra elections and Haryana elections, reported news agency ANI
Maharashtra Election 2019: SEE PICS: Salman Khan cast vote at a polling vote in Bandra West, Mumbai: ANI
Salman Khan cast vote at a polling vote in Bandra West, Mumbai: news agency ANI
Maharashtra Voting Today: Prakash Javadekar says BJP-Shiv Sena alliance will break all previous records, win more than 222 seats
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday exuded confidence that the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in Maharashtra will break all previous records by winning more than 222 seats.
"Not just 220, we will cross 222 seats this time in Maharashtra. The Congress had won 222 seats once but we are going to break this record and form an even stronger government this time," Mr Javadekar told news agency ANI.
The Union Minister asserted that BJP was going to win in Haryana too and said that the people were voting for the BJP based on the work done under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"The people are coming out to vote in large numbers in both Maharashtra and Haryana. They are once again siding with the BJP, it is because of the work done by both the state governments under the guidance of Narendra Modi," Mr Javadekar said.
Polling for 90 seats of Haryana and 288 constituencies of Maharashtra began at 7 am today and will continue till 6 pm in the evening.
In Maharashtra, BJP is contesting 150 seats while its ally Shiv Sena has fielded 124 candidates. The remaining seats have been left for smaller allies. On the other hand, Congress is contesting the polls in alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
The counting of votes will be done on October 24.
Maharashtra Election Live News: BREAKING: Provisional voter turnout in Maharashtra till 4 pm is 43.8%
Provisional voter turnout in Maharashtra election 2019 till 4 pm is 43.8%.
Maharashtra Election 2019: SEE PICS: Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri Khan cast their votes in Bandra West, Mumbai
Shah Rukh Khan and his wife Gauri cast their votes at polling booth no 177 in Bandra West, Mumbai, reported news agency ANI.
Maharashtra Election 2019: SEE PICS: Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan cast their vote in Juhu, Mumbai
Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan leave after casting their vote at a polling booth in Mumbai's Juhu area, reported news agency ANI.
Maharashtra Election Live News: 102-year-old Haji Ibrahim Joad cast his vote along with family in Maharashtra: news agency ANI
Haji Ibrahim Aleem Joad, a 102-year-old man cast vote along with his family at a polling booth in Maharashtra's Lohegaon. "I was admitted to hospital for 4 days but today I'm here to cast my vote. I urge everyone to come forward & vote," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Maharashtra Voting Today: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis casts vote with wife Amruta Fadnavis
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis along with his wife Amruta and mother Sarita on Monday cast his vote at a polling station in Nagpur.
The Chief Minister urged people to take part in this democratic process.
"I appeal everyone should come out and vote. This is the time to take part in the process of democracy. People have right to choose their government and those who vote has more right to keep expectations from their government," the Chief Minister was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Elections began on 288 constituencies of Maharashtra at 7 am today and will continue till 6 pm. Counting of votes will be held on October 24.
In Mumbai, 9,894 polling stations have been set up at 1,537 locations. 36 out of 288 seats come in the city of Mumbai where 334 candidates are in the contest, reported ANI. The city has 97.72 lakh registered voters.
BJP is contesting on 164 seats, which includes candidates of smaller allies contesting on its lotus symbol, while its key ally Shiv Sena has fielded 126 candidates.
On the other hand, Congress has candidates in 147 constituencies and NCP will contest 121 seats.
Maharashtra Election Today: Election Commission sets up creches at election booths for kids of women voters: news agency PTI
In a bid to make the polling process convenient for women voters, temporary creches for their children have seen set up for the first time in some Assembly segments of Maharashtra, an official said on Monday, reported news agency PTI.
Since many women voters have no option but to carry their children along with them to the polling booths, the Election Commission came up with this initiative, the EC official said.
"The experiment was carried out for the first time during the Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year, and now the EC has replicated the same concept in the Maharashtra polls," the official was quoted as saying by PTI.
"This is the first time that the EC has come up with such a facility for women voters, who can now keep their children at the creche for a brief period and exercise their franchise," he said.
The initiative was taken after the EC observed how voters travelled to the polling stations and how much average time they spent at the booths, he said.
Most of the urban woman voters were found carrying their children along with them to the booths, he said.
"Since rules prohibit taking children inside the voting room, the EC came up with the concept of setting up temporary creches, having a dedicated anganwadi worker and equipped with some toys for kids to play," he said.
The anganwadi workers are employees of the government-run women and child care centres.
Maharashtra Election 2019: Minor fights reported in Maharashtra's Beed, Jalna districts: news agency PTI
As voting for the Assembly polls progressed across Maharashtra on Monday, reports of minor fights came in from Beed and Jalna districts, officials said late afternoon.
In Beed's Balepeer area, over 380 kilometres from Maharashtra capital Mumbai, supporters of Shiv Sena candidate Jaydatt Kshirsagar and NCP candidate Sandeep Kshirsagar had an altercation over allegations of vehicles being used to ferry voters to polling booths, an official said.
The area was tense for a while before police, as well as the two candidates, defused the situation, he added.
In Jalna's Jamkhed area, over 400 kilometres from Mumbai, two groups owing allegiance to local leaders clashed before being separated by police, an official said.
Maharashtra Election 2019: Mumbai Congress chief Milind Deora appeals to people of Maharashtra to vote in large numbers
Senior Congress leader Milind Deora on Monday appealed the people of Maharashtra, especially youngsters, to come out and vote in large numbers.
"I would like to appeal this to all the people of Maharashtra to come out and cast their precious votes. I would like to request the young voters, especially, to come to vote for progress in Maharashtra," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI after casting his ballot.
On October 14, Congress leader Sanjay Niupam had called Deora ''Nikamma'' (useless) and downplayed speculation over his absence at Rahul Gandhi's rally in the state during the run-up to the elections.
Mr Deora had earlier replaced Mr Nirupam as the Mumbai Congress chief.
Out of the 288 Assembly constituencies in the state, Maharashtra's Armori witnessed the highest voter turnout of 52.89 per cent and Ulhasnagar witnessed the lowest at 15.70 per cent till 1 pm.
Elections began on 288 constituencies of Maharashtra at 7 am today and will continue till 6 pm. Counting of votes will be held on October 24.
Maharashtra Election Live News: Only 34% Voter Turnout Till 3 pm
Just In: The voter turnout till 3 pm for the Maharashtra Assembly election has been a low 34.2 per cent, down 11.5 per cent from what it was at 3 pm in the 2019 assembly polls.
Maharashtra Election Live News: Actor Shah Rukh Khan And His Wife Gauri Vote In Mumbai's Bandra (West)
Maharashtra Election 2019: "If He Can Vote, What's Stopping You?" Smriti Irani Introduces Khanna-ji
Maharashtra Election 2019: Shabana Azmi And Javed Akhtar Cast Their Vote At A Polling Booth In Mumbai
Maharashtra Election 2019: Actor Deepika Padukone Votes In Mumbai's Bandra (West)
Maharashtra Election 2019: Sachin Tendulkar Appeals To All Eligible Voters To Come Out And Vote
Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar led the sports fraternity to vote for the Maharashtra Assembly elections on Monday, and appealed to people to come out in large numbers to exercise their democratic right. Sachin Tendulkar cast his vote along with wife Anjali and son Arjun at a polling booth in suburban Bandra.
After voting, Mr Tendulkar said, "This morning, I read in a newspaper something which is not so common and talks about commitment. The article made a mention of three senior citizens, including one wheelchair-bound 94-year-old person, who was going to make an effort to come out and vote."
The other two senior citizens, 100 and 106 years old, were also making an effort to go to vote, he said, quoting the article.
"So, I think, we could change our tomorrow and make it better. Whoever you feel like supporting, whoever you believe in, you should go out and vote. Whoever is eligible to vote, must vote," he added.
Former India player Sandeep Patil, who was part of the 1983 World Cup winning team, also cast his vote at a polling booth in Shivaji Park area in central Mumbai. Legendary batsman Dilip Vengsarkar, who stays in Worli area of Mumbai, also voted.
Maharashtra Election Live News: Voter Turnout Crawls To 30.8%. Last 4 Hours Of Polling Left
Just In: Maharashtra has seen a significant drop in voter turnout till 2 pm, when this year's election statistic is compared with the same time in 2014. With only four hours of polling left in the state, the voter turnout stands at only 30.8 per cent.
Maharashtra Election Live News: Actors Anil Kapoor And Hrithik Roshan Vote In Mumbai's Andheri (West)
Maharashtra Election 2019: EVM Or Voting Glitches At Several Polling Stations Reported
Faulty Electronic Voting Machines or EVMs have delayed polling at some booths in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri and Bhandara districts on Monday, an official told news agency Press Trust of India. Polling was also stopped for sometime at a booth in Mumbai's Worli due to a technical error, he said.
The state Congress unit also sent 187 complaints to the Election Commission of malfunctioning of EVMs.
In Ratnagiri's Dhamangaon village, polling was stopped at a booth from 8:30 am to 10 am due to a technical fault in the electronic voting machine (EVM), he said. The EVM glitch also halted the polling process at a booth in Kalamban Gavhanwadi village in Ratnagiri since 9:42 am, he said, adding that voting resumed there around 12:30 pm.
In Bhandara district, polling was disrupted from 9:15 am to 9:35 am due to a similar issue, he said. Long queues were witnessed outside these polling stations as the voting process was disrupted.
In Mumbai, polling at a centre near the Doordarshan office in Worli area was halted for sometime due to a technical error, the official told news agency PTI. However, the issue was resolved soon and polling resumed, he added.
Polling was underway in all 288 Assembly seats since 7 am and will end at 6 pm.
Maharashtra Election Live News: Massive Drop In Voter Turnout Till 1 pm
Just In: Data from the Election Commission show a massive drop in voter turnout till 1 pm. The voter turnout till was only 17.8 per cent, down 15.3 per cent when compared to the turnout till 1 pm in 2014.
Elections 2019: States And Constituencies, Apart From Maharashtra, Where Elections Are Being Held Today
Apart from Maharashtra, assembly elections are also under way in Haryana. Like Maharashtra, Haryana too has a BJP government in the state since 2014. Both Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar are seeking to be elected for a second successive term.
By-elections are also being held in 53 other constituencies across India. 51 of these are assembly bypolls, while two constituencies are holding by-elections for Lok Sabha seats.
By-elections are taking place in Arunachal Pradesh (1 seat), Assam (4 seats), Bihar (5 assembly seats + 1 Lok Sabha seat), Chhattisgarh (1 seat), Gujarat (6 seats), Andhra Pradesh (2 seats), Kerala (5 seats), Meghalaya (1 seat), Maharashtra (1 seat - Lok Sabha), Madhya Pradesh (1 seat), Odisha (1 seat), Puducherry (1 seat), Punjab (4 seats), Rajasthan (2 seats), Sikkim (3 seats), Tamil Nadu (2 seats), Telangana (1 seat), Uttar Pradesh (11 seats).
Maharashtra Election Live News: Actor and BJP MP Hema Malini Votes In Mumbai's Andheri (West)
Maharashtra Election Live News: Union Minister Smriti Irani Votes At A Polling Booth In Mumbai
Appealing to all the voters in Maharashtra to come out and vote, Ms Irani said, "Today's hero is Khanna ji (man standing next to her). He had served in the Indian Army. He is 93 and came out to vote. It is an inspiration... request people to come out and vote. If at 93 he can vote, who is stopping you?" she asked.
Maharashtra Election 2019: Stats And Facts
Maharashtra Election 2019: Panvel is the largest Assembly constituency having 5,54,827 voters, while Wardha is the smallest constituency with 2,77,980 voters in Maharashtra.
An elderly voter from Maharashtra's Gondia shows how age is just a number
Maharashtra Election 2019: Renowned Film Director, Lyricist And Poet Gulzar Voted In Mumbai Today
Maharashtra Election Live News: Actor Govinda And His Wife Sunita Vote In Andheri (West)
Maharashtra Election Live News: NCP or Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar Votes In Mumbai
Maharashtra Election Live News: Sachin Tendulkar, His Wife Anjali And Their Son Arjun Vote In Mumbai's Bandra (West)
Maharashtra Elections 2019: Shiv Sena's Aaditya Thackeray Urged Voters In Maharashtra To "Step Out And Vote"
Maharashtra Elections 2019: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Tweets After Voting In Nagpur
Maharashtra Election Live News: Veteran Actor Prem Chopra, Renowned Lyricist Gulzar Vote In Mumbai's Bandra (West)
Maharashtra Election Live News: Voter Turnout Till 11 am Dips In Maharashtra When 2019 Is Compared To 2014
Just In: Maharashtra's voter turnout till 11 am was only 13.2 per cent, down 4.7 per cent when compared to the turnout till 11 am in 2014.
Maharashtra Election Live News: The Thackeray Family Votes In Mumbai's Bandra (East)
Just In: Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray voted along with his family in Mumbai's Bandra (East), from where he is contesting.
Sources say that under the seat sharing agreement between Maharashtra's ruling alliance, the BJP will get the chief minister's post while the Shiv Sena will get the post of deputy Chief Minister. The BJP has announced that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis would continue to helm the government. For his deputy, the Shiv Sena's choice is likely to be Uddhav Thackeray's 29-year-old son Aaditya Thackeray. Thackeray Senior, however, has played down the possibility, saying a politician doesn't get the top job after taking "the first step in politics".
Aaditya Thackeray is the first in his family to contest elections in the five decades since his grandfather Bal Thackeray founded the Shiv Sena. He is likely to get a walkover in Worli - a Sena stronghold where the opposition candidate, the NCP's Sachin Ahir, crossed over recently.
Maharashtra Election Live News: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis And His Family Cast Their Vote In Nagpur
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, his wife Amruta Fadnavis and mother Sarita cast their vote at a polling booth in Nagpur. Mr Fadnavis is seeking a second term as Chief Minister of Maharashtra
Maharashtra Election Today: Actors Ritesh Deshmukh And Genelia D'Souza Cast Their Vote
Actor Ritesh Deshmukh's brothers Amit Deshmukh and Dhiraj Deshmukh are contesting the Maharashtra Assembly election as Congress candidates from Latur city and Latur rural constituencies respectively
Maharashtra Elections 2019: Actor Madhuri Dixit Votes In Bandra (West) In Mumbai
Maharashtra Election Live News: Power Cut At A Polling Station In Pune
There has been a power cut at a polling booth in Pune's Shivaji Nagar.
Maharashtra Election Live News: Political Heavyweights Contesting In Today's Maharashtra Assembly Polls
Here is a list of political heavyweights from the Maharashtra who are contesting in today's assembly election:
Maharashtra Election Live News: Low Voter Turnout In Maharashtra Till 10 am
Just In: Only 5.8% voter turnout across Maharashtra till 10 am
Maharashtra Election Live News: Mahesh Bhupati And Lara Dutta Vote In Bandra (West) In Mumbai
Former tennis player Mahesh Bhupati and his wife, actor Lara Dutta, cast their vote in Bandra (West)
Maharashtra Polls 2019: Actor Aamir Khan Votes In Bandra (West) In Mumbai
"I appeal to all citizens in Maharashtra to come out and vote in large numbers," Aamir Khan said when he came to vote at a polling booth in Bandra (West)
Maharashtra Election Live News: Congress's Sushilkumar Shinde And His Family Vote In Solapur
Just In: Former Home Minister and Congress leader Sushilkumar Shinde, his wife Ujwala and daughter Praniti Shinde cast their votes at a polling booth in Solapur. Praniti Shinde is contesting the Maharashtra Assembly election as a Congress candidate from Solapur Central.
Maharashtra Election 2019: Congress, NCP Saw May Defections Ahead Of Polls
Ahead of the election, both the NCP and the Congress have battled defections and resignations. Last month the Congress lost three leaders, including Harshvardhan Patil, a cabinet minister in the previous government, in the space of 24 hours. Mr Patil, who joined the BJP, will contest from the Kothrud Assembly seat.
Another senior Congress leader, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, quit in June and was sworn-in to Chief Minister Fadnavis' cabinet the same month. He will contest the Shirdi Assembly seat.
Among other key names to look out for is that of NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who will contest the Baramati Assembly seat that he resigned from last month after he was named by the Enforcement Directorate in a money-laundering case.
Maharashtra Election Today: Key Contestants From The Shiv Sena
For the Shiv Sena, this will be the first time a member of the Thackeray family contests an election. Aaditya Thackeray, 29, who has been groomed by the party as a future Chief Minister, will contest from the party stronghold of Worli.
Other key Sena candidates include Sunil Raut and Sunil Prabhu, who have been given tickets for the Vikhroli and Dindoshi Assembly constituencies respectively.
Maharashtra Election Live News: Key Contests
Key names and election battles to look out for in the Maharashtra Assembly election being held today include Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is contesting the Nagpur (South West) seat. Earlier this month the Supreme Court directed a trial court to re-look at a 2014 complaint alleging Mr Fadnavis failed to declare criminal cases on an election affidavit. However, he has been allowed to contest this election.
The battle for the Kankavli seat will be eagerly watched since it sees Nitesh Rane of the BJP take on Satish Sawant of the Shiv Sena, who had been set to contest as an independent candidate. Nitesh Rane won this seat in 2014 on a Congress ticket.
Another anticipated battle is that between the NCP's Dhananjay Munde and his cousin Pankaja Munde of the BJP. The cousins will fight over the Parli Assembly seat.
Maharashtra Election Today: Senior NCP Leader Praful Patel And His Wife Varsha Patel Cast Their Votes In Gondia
Maharashtra Election Live News: Senior NCP Leader Supriya Sule Casts Her Vote In Baramati
Maharashtra Voting Today: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Wife Kanchan Gadkari, Cast Their Vote In Nagpur
Nitin Gadkari tweeted today after voting in the Maharashtra Assembly election saying, "My family and I have voted in Nagpur today." The minister also shared a photograph with his family after they voted. Mr Gadkari also appealed to all eligible voters in Maharashtra and Haryana to come out and vote in large numbers.
Maharashtra Elections 2019: The Contest And Division Of Seats
The BJP and Shiv Sena are contest 274 of the 288 seats in the Maharashtra assembly - 150 for the BJP, 124 for Shiv Sena and 14 for other allies. The Congress and NCP are contesting 125 seats each, leaving 38 for other allies.
Maharashtra Elections 2019: Early Voters
Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Haribhau Bagde cast his vote in Aurangabad district. State Housing Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and his family members cast his votes at Shirdi in Ahmednagar.
Former cricketer Sandeep Patil, who was also among the early voters at Shivaji Park in Mumbai, said more than the party, the merit of an individual candidate was important. "We should vote for candidates who work for their constituencies," he said.
Voting began at 7 am this morning in all 288 Assembly constituencies of Maharashtra where 3,237 candidates, including 235 women, are contesting. Voting will end at 6 pm.
Maharashtra Elections 2019: Ashok Chavan Ajit Pawar, Ashish Shelar Among Early Voters
Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and the current BJP-led Maharashtra government's school education minister Ashish Shelar were among the early ones to cast their votes for the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly election. Politicians as well as members of the public came out to exercise their democratic right this morning, despite rain in some parts of the state.
Ashok Chavan and his family members cast their votes at the Ambedkar Nagar Municipal school in Nanded district. In Mumbai, where it has been raining for the last two days, Ashish Shelar came out to vote at St Stanisluas High school in suburban Bandra.
NCP leader and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar voted at Baramati in Pune district.
Ashok Chavan is the Congress's candidate from Bhokar in Nanded, while Ajit Pawar is the NCP's nominee from Baramati. Ashish Shelar is the BJP's candidate from Bandra-West seat.
Maharashtra Elections 2019: Eligible Voters In Maharashtra
Over 8.9 crore people are eligible to vote in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly election. Out of these, the number of male voters are 4.69 crore (4,69,90,246), the number of female voters are 4.28 crore (4,28,46,720), and the number of voters from the third-gender are 2,634.
Maharashtra Election 2019: Stats And Facts - Candidates With Declared Criminal Cases Against Them
A total of 916 candidates have declared that they have criminal cases filed against them, up from 798 in 2014, according to a joint report.
The report by the Maharashtra Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has said that of the 916 candidates, 600 have declared serious criminal cases, while 27 have declared convicted cases.
The report said that 96 out of 162 candidates analysed were from the BJP, 83 out of 147 candidates analysed from Congress and 75 out of 124 candidates analysed from Shiv Sena have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.
Maharashtra Election 2019: NDTV's Saurabh Gupta Reports LIVE - Watch The Coverage On NDTV 24X7
Maharashtra Polls 2019: Senior NCP Leader And Candidate From Baramati, Ajit Pawar Casts His Vote
Maharashtra Election 2019: How BJP, Shiv Sena, Congress, And NCP Performed In The 2014 Assembly Election
In the 2014 Maharashtra Assembly election, the BJP won 122 seats, Shiv Sena got 63 seats, while Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) could only manage 42 and 41 respectively from a total of 288. The BJP and Shiv Sena, which had contested separately, later formed a coalition government in the state.
Maharashtra Polls 2019: BJP Manifesto vs Congress-NCP Manifesto - Key Highlights
In its "Sankalpapatra", the Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP has promised a USD 1 trillion economy for Maharashtra with the creation of 1 crore jobs in the next five years. It has also promised houses for all by 2022. The party also said that they will push for a Bharat Ratna - India's highest civilian honour - for Veer Savarkar.
The election manifesto released by the Congress-NCP promises farmer-centric policies and a monthly allowance of Rs. 5,000 for unemployed youth if voted to power in the state. For those already holding jobs, it assured a minimum monthly wage of Rs. 21,000.
Maharashtra Election 2019: Historic Moment For Shiv Sena And It's Yuva Leader Aaditya Thackeray
In a first for the Thackeray's, they have now officially participated as a candidate in the Maharashtra election. This is the first time that a member of the Thackeray family is contesting an election - Aaditya Thackeray, the Yuva Sena President and son of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, is contesting from Worli.
Maharashtra Polls 2019: Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Julio Ribeiro Casts His Vote In Worli (Mumbai)
Maharashtra Election 2019: Home Minister Amit Shah Appeals To Voters To Turn Up In Large Numbers To Cast Their Vote
Maharashtra Election 2019: Stats And Facts
There are 288 seats in Maharashtra. Of these, 29 are reserved for Scheduled Caste and 25 for Scheduled Tribes. The number of voters in Maharashtra are 8.9 crore. This year, 3,239 candidates are contesting the assembly elections.
Maharashtra Election 2019: RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat Casts His Vote In Nagpur
Maharashtra Election 2019: Why The Are Elections Due
The Maharashtra Assembly election is due as the incumbent Devendra Fadnavis-led Bharatiya Janata Party in the state has completed its 5-year term, and the next government in the state must be elected and sworn in by November 9, when the current term ends.
For the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, the BJP and Shiv Sena are contesting in an alliance, while the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party or NCP are contesting together in the other big alliance. Several regional parties are also contesting either in alliance with these two bigger alliances, or independently.
This is the first state election, or assembly election after this year's national election, which the Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP won by a landslide.
Maharashtra Election 2019: Voting began at 7 am. PM Modi Tweets In MarathiMaharashtra votes today to elect the next government in the state. Polling began at 7 am this morning and will be on till 6 pm. PM Modi wishes voters in Marathi and English: