Maharashtra, Jharkhand Assembly elections 2024 schedule announced by ECI, check voting and counting dates

Maharashtra, Jharkhand Assembly elections 2024 schedule announced by ECI, check voting and counting dates

Sources report that on 15 October 2024, the Election Commission of India declared the dates for the 2024 assembly polls for the states of Maharashtra and Jharkhand. The election will be very crucial for the two states as numerous important political alignments are reaching their final stages in preparation for the electoral battle.

Election Schedules

Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024 Schedule

Event Date
Issue of Gazette Notification October 22, 2024
Last Date for Nominations October 29, 2024
Scrutiny of Nominations October 30, 2024
Last Date for Withdrawal of Candidature November 4, 2024
Date of Poll November 20, 2024
Counting of Votes November 23, 2024
Completion of Election Process November 25, 2024

Jharkhand Assembly Election 2024 Schedule

Event Phase 1 Phase 2
Issue of Gazette Notification October 18, 2024 October 22, 2024
Last Date for Nominations October 25, 2024 October 29, 2024
Scrutiny of Nominations October 28, 2024 October 30, 2024
Last Date for Withdrawal of Candidature October 30, 2024 November 4, 2024
Date of Poll November 13, 2024 November 20, 2024
Counting of Votes November 23, 2024
Completion of Election Process November 25, 2024

Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024

Maharashtra is one of the states with 288 assembly seats which are going to polls in a single phase on November 20, 2024. This happens to be an election where Mahayuti alliance of the ruling party consists of Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena besides the faction of Nationalist Congress Party, looks to make the most of the opportunity against the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition of NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), Shiv Sena (UBT), and Congress.

There has always been interesting political dynamics in Maharashtra. The regional and national, together with the ideological differences, will make this a field day between the ruling and the opposition alliances. A win for Maharashtra will constitute a significant victory in the politices of states but also determine the national political discourse since it is one of India’s largest and most economically powerful states.

Election Dates and Schedule:

Notification in Gazette Published : October 22, 2024
Last date for receipt of nominations: October 29, 2024
Scrutiny of nominations : October 30, 2024
Last date for withdrawal of candidature: November 4, 2024
Poll Date: November 20, 2024
Counting of votes: November 23, 2024
All elections to be completed by November 25, 2024
Important candidates and their alliances.

A Mahayuti government comprising BJP, Shiv Sena along with Eknath Shinde, and a section of the NCP with Ajit Pawar will seek a repeat term. The Maha Vikas Aghadi consisting of Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray, Congress, and a section of the NCP led by Sharad Pawar, will aim to regain power which it lost after infighting and desertions.

Caste politics, regionalism, and the urban-rural divide dominate Maharashtra elections. The political scenario did change in 2019 when the BJP, though the largest party, could not form the government. After that, the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharad Pawar), and Congress joined hands to form an alliance popularly known as Maha Vikas Aghadi or MVA which, however, collapsed in 2022 and the current alliance government is reigning under the banner Mahayuti.

Issues in Focus:

The key issues most likely to dominate the Maharashtra election are:

Issues related to farmer distress and agrarian policies are going to be at the heart of election manifestos simply because large parts of Maharashtra depend upon agriculture. Policies grappling with the issues of distressed farmers, irrigation schemes, and agrarian subsidies will go well in election manifestos.

Urban infrastructure and economic development: Since the state holds its financial capital, Mumbai, issues related to infrastructural development, employment, transport, housing, and industrial growth are going to be Maharashtra’s priority concerns.

Governance and law and order: As the state government had to face a political turmoil due to charges of corruption at higher levels, it is here that the political parties will look to exploit governance and law and order.

Regional Inequalities: The state is of huge regional differences that comprise Mumbai, Pune, and much more poorly-off Vidarbha and Marathwada. It is still one of the electoral issues .

Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2024

Jharkhand will have its election in two phases on November 13 and November 20, 2024, unlike in Maharashtra which has only a single-phase poll. The political situation in Jharkhand is indeed bittersweet with its own particular set of difficulties and socio-political issues.

The BJJP-JMM contest has very often looked Jharkhand in its face. Other players of significance here have been Congress and AJSU in the alliance formation. The government, which is currently formed with the help of JMM chief Hemant Soren, will face stiff competition from BJJP in this election. In the coming days, the Soren government, being in power since 2019, would focus on tribals’ welfare and their rights, mining, economic development, and good governance.

Jharkhand Election Dates and Schedule:

Notification for Phase 1: 18 October 2024
Notification for Phase 2: 22 October 2024
Last Date for Submission of Nominations (Phase 1): 25 October 2024
Last Date for Submission of Nominations (Phase 2): 29 October 2024
Scrutiny of Nominations for Phase 1: 28 October 2024
Scrutiny of Nominations (Phase 2): October 30, 2024
Withdrawal of Candidature (Phase 1): 30th October, 2024
Withdrawal of Candidature (Phase 2): 4th November, 2024
Date of Polling (Phase 1): 13th November, 2024
Date of Polling (Phase 2): 20th November, 2024
Counting of Votes: 23rd November, 2024
Finalizing of Election Process : 25th November, 2024
Significance of Jharkhand Polls

Results of the Jharkhand election are going to be watched closely. This is because the BJP would look forward to a come back into winning position from the last defeat in 2019. Issues that give life to politics in the state of Jharkhand are:

Rights of tribals and land acquisition: Although there is a considerable number of tribals, the issues related to the problem of tribal land rights and displacement in relation to mining and industrial projects are always centerpieces of election issues in Jharkhand.

Employment and infrastructure: Even if minerals abound in Jharkhand, employment avenues and infrastructure development can never be on their platter. The problem of unemployment, industrialization, and infrastructure development will probably go hand in hand for all political parties to use as electioneering tools.

Governance and graft: Graft charges, administrative inefficiencies, and governance issues are always core elements of the political discourse in Jharkhand.

National Politics Importance of These Elections

Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly polls are being perceived as the semi-finals to the general elections in 2024. Results of these assembly polls might give a feel of the mood of the voter before the Lok Sabha polls.

Maharashtra is the largest State in India and has much contribution to national politics. The outcome will be significant to shape the national political combinations. The victory of BJP-Mahayuti alliance or Maha Vikas Aghadi would have a potential to make the influence significant for the combination formations in national politics.

In other words, though the stakes would be lower than what it has in Maharashtra, it would essentially turn out to be a barometer for understanding the voters’ mood, and it would be the BJP’s victory and JMM’s retention that would go a long way to influence the national fortune for the party and the opposition, respectively.

The controversy over the numbers of municipal corporations is likely to go on for a few more days, but the political chatter of the coming weeks would dominate the election news. The readers are in for a close political contest in the elections just ahead between Maharashtra and Jharkhand. While the local issues of these two states are going to get a definitive end with the polls, the political parties are going to fight out their case through governance, economic development, and social welfare policies. Election dates are near, and all eyes will soon be upon the campaign strategies and politician plays to hit not just these states but the nation at large.

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