Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024 Date: ECI Explains These Reasons For Not Conducting Maha Polls

The Election Commission of India announced assembly elections for Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, while elections in Maharashtra will be held at a later date. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar cited heavy rainfall and security considerations as reasons for the decision to delay Maharashtra's elections.

Kumar explained that while the last Maharashtra and Haryana Assembly elections were held simultaneously, this year's election schedule is more complex, involving four elections followed by a fifth, including Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Delhi. Due to the need to allocate security forces appropriately and the impact of heavy rainfall and upcoming festivals in Maharashtra, the decision was made to conduct only two elections together at this time.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray criticized the Election Commission for postponing Maharashtra's elections, questioning its ability to manage simultaneous elections, a key pre-poll promise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Thackeray took to social media to express his frustration, calling the Election Commission "Entirely Compromised" and accusing it of using "security constraints" as an excuse to avoid holding simultaneous elections in Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir. He also criticized the commission for citing monsoon rains as a reason for delaying the elections, implying that only Maharashtra experiences such weather challenges.

Thackeray further accused the Election Commission of acting under the influence of the BJP, suggesting that the delay is an attempt to give the ruling party more time to consolidate its position in the state.