Maharashtra Election 2019: How To Vote Explained In 10 Simple Steps

Maharashtra Assembly Election will take place in a single phase on October 21, Monday. The key parties in the state are the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress party (NCP). A total number of 3,237 candidates are contesting the Maharashtra elections this year on 288 constituencies (seats). In 2014 Maharashtra Assembly Elections, the BJP got 122 seats and its ally got 63 seats. The Congress won 42 seats and its coalition partner NCP got 41.  Maharashtra has 8.9 crore eligible voters. Of these, 4.6 crore are men and 4.2 crore are women voters and 2,634 are voters from the third gender. The Maharashtra Election result will be announced on October 24, Thursday.

Maharashtra Assembly Election 2019: Process Of Voting Explained Here

1. Check your name on the voters' list and details about your polling centre on Chief Electoral Officer, Maharashtra website. To check your name in the voters' list, click here.
2. Don't forget to carry an ID proof with you while going to the polling booth.
3. Once you reach your polling booth, the polling official will check your name on the voter list and check your ID proof and verify your identity.
4. A second polling official will then ink your finger, give you a slip and take your signature on a register to confirm your presence.
5. Take this slip and deposit it to the third polling official, show your inked finger and then proceed to the polling booth.
6. Record your vote by pressing the ballot button in front of the symbol of the candidate of your choice on the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM). A beep sound will be heard giving you the signal that your vote has been registered.
7. While the machine beeps, you can check the slip that appears in the transparent window of the Voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machine kept next to the EVM.
8. The slip with the chosen candidate's serial number, name and symbol shall be visible to you for 7 seconds before dropping in the sealed VVPAT box.
9. If you do not like any candidate, you can also press the None of the Above (NOTA) option on the ballot box. IT is the last button on the EVM.
10. Here's a look at the recognised ID cards that you can carry with you at the time of voting:

• EPIC (Voter ID card)
• Driving License
• Passport
• Passbooks with photograph issued by Bank/Post Office
• PAN Card
• Smart Card issued by RGI under NPR
• Service Identity Cards with photograph issued to employees by
• Central/State Govt./PSUs/Public Limited Companies
• Smart Card issued under the scheme of Ministry of Labour Pension document with photograph Official identity cards issued to MPs/MLAs/MLCs Aadhaar Card
• MNREGA Job Card (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee)
• Health Insurance