Maharashtra Assembly Election Campaign Concludes as Voting Approaches on November 20

The campaign for the Maharashtra assembly elections concluded with the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance aiming to maintain its hold on power. Meanwhile, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition is striving for a significant return. Voting will occur across all 288 assembly seats on 20 November, with the counting of votes scheduled for 23 November. Prominent leaders like Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra actively campaigned throughout the state.

In this election, the Mahayuti alliance, which includes the BJP, Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), is relying on popular initiatives such as Majhi Ladki Bahin to secure victory. The BJP's slogans "Batenge toh katenge" and "Ek hai toh safe hai" have sparked controversy. Opposition parties accused them of attempting to polarise voters along religious lines.

Election Dynamics and Campaign Strategies

The MVA coalition, consisting of Congress, Shiv Sena UBT, and NCP Sharadchandra Pawar, criticised these slogans. They also targeted Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's use of "Batenge toh katenge" and Prime Minister Modi's "Ek hai toh safe hai." Notably, not all BJP allies endorsed these slogans. Ajit Pawar distanced himself from them, while Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis sought to clarify their meanings.

In response to the ruling alliance's rhetoric, the MVA focused on issues like caste-based census, social justice, and constitutional protection. Their campaign aimed to connect with voters who felt overlooked by the government. On Monday, the BJP launched an ad campaign targeting the opposition MVA and urging voters to reject Congress. The campaign highlighted incidents such as the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and the Palghar lynching.

Candidate Distribution and Voter Statistics

For the upcoming elections on 20 November, the BJP is contesting 149 seats, Shiv Sena 81 seats, and Ajit Pawar's NCP 59 seats. The Congress has fielded candidates in 101 constituencies, Shiv Sena UBT in 95, and NCP SP in 86. Smaller parties like BSP and AIMIM are also participating. BSP has nominated candidates for 237 seats while AIMIM has fielded candidates in 17 constituencies.

This election sees a notable increase in candidates compared to 2019. A total of 4,136 candidates are contesting this year, up from 3,239 in the previous state assembly elections. Among them are 2,086 independent candidates. Additionally, rebels are competing in over 150 constituencies against their party's official nominees.

Voter Demographics and Election Logistics

As of 30 October, there are 9,70,25,119 registered voters in Maharashtra. This includes 5,00,22,739 male voters and 4,69,96,279 female voters. There are also 6,101 transgender voters registered. The number of Persons with Disabilities (PwD) voters stands at 6,41,425 while service voters from the armed forces total 1,16,170.

This year will see an increase in polling booths due to a rise in voter numbers. There will be 1,00,186 polling booths compared to 96,654 in the previous elections. Approximately six lakh state government employees will be involved in election duties.

Enforcement Actions and Complaints

Since the code of conduct was enforced on 15 October, authorities have seized cash and items worth Rs 252.42 crore under various central and state government schemes. This includes Rs 63.47 crore in cash and liquor valued at Rs 33.73 crore. Additionally, drugs worth Rs 32.67 crore were confiscated along with precious metals valued at Rs 83.12 crore.

Officials also seized jewellery worth Rs 2.79 crore and miscellaneous items valued at Rs 36.62 crore during this period. The C-Vigil app received a total of 2,469 complaints regarding Model Code of Conduct violations across Maharashtra. Of these complaints, an impressive resolution rate of 99.31% was achieved with prompt action taken on most cases.

As of Monday's update on complaints registered via the NGSP portal: out of a total of 7,793 complaints filed so far; authorities have addressed approximately two-thirds or about five thousand two hundred five cases effectively demonstrating their commitment towards maintaining electoral integrity throughout this crucial democratic process.