Campaigning for the high-stakes single phase Assembly elections in Maharashtra, and second and final phase of Jharkhand Assembly elections ended on Monday evening, for the November 20 elections. Besides intense campaigning for the nine Assembly by-elections in Uttar Pradesh too concluded on Monday evening for the scheduled voting on November 20. Results for the polls scheduled on November 13 and 20 including, Wayanad Lok Sabha are set to be declared on November 23.
The election campaign for the Maharashtra Assembly polls ended on Monday, with the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance vying to retain power and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) combine hoping for a strong comeback.
Polling will be held in all the 288 Assembly seats for which the campaign saw prominent leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and many Union ministers crisscrossing the state to garner votes for their candidates.
The Mahayuti, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and the Nationalist Congress Party led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, is banking on its popular schemes like Majhi Ladki Bahin for women helping it retain power.
The BJP’s use of slogans like “Batenge toh katenge” and “Ek hai toh safe hai” prompted the opposition parties to accuse the Mahayuti of polarising voters along religious lines.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), slammed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s use of “Batenge toh katenge” and PM Modi’s “Ek hai toh safe hai” slogans.
Not all the BJP allies supported these slogans. Ajit Pawar, distanced himself from them. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis attempted to clarify the meaning of the slogans, leading to confusion within the ruling alliance.
The MVA alliance countered the ruling combine’s rhetoric by focusing on issues like caste-based census, social justice, and protecting the Constitution. The Opposition aimed to appeal to voters who felt neglected by the government.
The BJP is contesting the November 20 elections in 149 seats, Shiv Sena is in the fray in 81 seats, and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP has fielded candidates in 59 constituencies.
Congress has fielded 101 candidates, Shiv Sena (UBT) 95, and NCP (SP) has put up 86 candidates. Rebels are in the fray in over 150 constituencies, with candidates from the Mahayuti and MVA contesting against their party’s official nominees.
Campaigning for the high-stakes second and final phase of Jharkhand Assembly elections also ended on Monday evening to decide the fate of candidates across 38 constituencies.
These include 18 seats from Santhal Pargana, another 18 from North Chotanagpur, and two from South Chotanagpur divisions.
Out of these 38 seats, eight are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs), three for Scheduled Castes (SCs), and the remaining 27 are general category seats.
Prominent candidates in the fray include Chief Minister Hemant Soren (JMM) contesting from Barhait, state BJP president and former CM Babulal Marandi from Dhanwar, and JMM star campaigner Kalpana Soren from Gandey.
Other notable contenders include Assembly Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato (JMM) from Nala, Leader of Opposition Amar Bauri from Chandankiyari, Congress leaders Deepika Pandey Singh in Mahagama, Irfan Ansari in Jamtara, and Hafizul Hasan in Madhupur. All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) Party chief Sudesh Mahto will contest from Silli, while Hemant Soren’s brother, Basant Soren, is contesting from Dumka.
In the 2019 elections, the JMM had won the maximum number of seats, 13, in these constituencies, followed by BJP with 12. The Congress secured eight seats, while Jharkhand Vikas Morcha and AJSU Party won two each, and the CPI-ML secured one seat.
Due to security concerns, 31 polling stations have been classified as highly sensitive and will operate from 7 am to 4 pm, while other polling stations will remain open until 5 pm.
On the final day of campaigning, high-profile leaders from both the BJP-National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and INDIA Bloc held over 20 public meetings. Key figures included Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Chirag Paswan, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, alongside opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi, Hemant Soren, and Kalpana Soren.
The by-elections in Uttar Pradesh too have become a crucial test for both major parties. For the BJP, a strong performance would reaffirm its dominance and help it recover from recent electoral setbacks. For the SP, retaining its seats would strengthen its position as a formidable opposition force. As the stage is set for polling on November 20, the political stakes in Uttar Pradesh have rarely been higher.
