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5 years ago
Mumbai:

Voting in Maharashtra, to elect the next government in the state, ended today. Polling began at 7 am this morning and was over by 6 pm today. The voter turnout till 3 pm was only 34.2 per cent, significantly down when compared to the turnout till 3 pm in 2014. The final voter turnout was registered at 60.5% for Maharashtra. This is the first state election, or assembly election after this year's national election, which the BJP won by a landslide. For the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, the BJP and Shiv Sena are contesting in an alliance, while the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party or NCP are contesting together in the other big alliance.

Several regional parties are also contesting either in alliance with these two bigger alliances, or independently. The Maharashtra Assembly election is due as the incumbent Devendra Fadnavis-led Bharatiya Janata Party in the state has completed its 5-year term, and the next government in the state must be elected and sworn in by November 9, when the current term ends.

Here are the voting day highlights for The Maharashtra Assembly Election 2019:

Maharashtra Election 2019: 59 VVPATs, 19 EVMs replaced in Maharashtra's Nagpur: news agency PTI

As many as 59 Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units and 19 Electronic Voting Machines were replaced in Nagpur district due to glitches on Monday, reported news agency PTI.

Fifty-nine VVPAT machines, 34 control units and 19 ballot units (EVMs) were replaced due to technical glitches in 12 assembly constituencies of the district, the District information office said, according to PTI.
READ HERE: Maharashtra Election 2019: Poll Of Polls: BJP Set To Retain Power In Maharashtra, Haryana, Show Most Exit Polls
The ruling BJP is set to win the Maharashtra and Haryana polls, the first since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's landslide win in the national election in May, exit polls said after voting ended in the two states.
Maharashtra Election 2019: Final voter turnout till 6 pm registered at 60.5%, says Election Commission at a press conference

Final voter turnout for the Maharashtra elections till 6 pm registered at 60.5%, says Election Commission
Maharashtra Election 2019: Voting ends in Maharashtra

BREAKING: Voting ends in Maharashtra.

READ HERE: Maharashtra Election 2019: 102-Year-Old Pune Man Casts Vote With 40 Family Members
Maharashtra Election 2019: A 102-year-old man came with his family of 40 members to cast vote in Pune's Lohgaon for the Maharashtra assembly elections.
READ HERE: Maharashtra Election 2019: Prakash Javadekar Says "Not Just 220, We Will Cross 222 Seats" In Maharashtra
Election in Maharashtra: Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday exuded confidence that the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in Maharashtra will break all previous records by winning more than 222 seats.
Maharashtra Election 2019: BREAKING: Voter turnout till 5 pm in Maharashtra was recorded at 44.6%

Voter turnout till 5 pm in Maharashtra was recorded at 44.6%
Maharashtra Election Live News: BJP national working president JP Nadda to hold a meeting with party's General Secretaries tomorrow at BJP HQ over Maharashtra elections

BJP national working president JP Nadda to hold a meeting with party's General Secretaries tomorrow at BJP HQ over Maharashtra elections and Haryana elections, reported news agency ANI
Maharashtra Election 2019: SEE PICS: Salman Khan cast vote at a polling vote in Bandra West, Mumbai: ANI

 Salman Khan cast vote at a polling vote in Bandra West, Mumbai: news agency ANI




READ HERE: Maharashtra Election 2019: Smriti Irani Introduces Khanna ji, If He Can Vote, What's Stopping You
Union Minister Smriti Irani, who voted in Mumbai today, introduced a 93-year-old man to appeal to people to step out and participate in the voting process in the Maharashtra election.
Maharashtra Voting Today: Prakash Javadekar says BJP-Shiv Sena alliance will break all previous records, win more than 222 seats

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday exuded confidence that the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in Maharashtra will break all previous records by winning more than 222 seats.

"Not just 220, we will cross 222 seats this time in Maharashtra. The Congress had won 222 seats once but we are going to break this record and form an even stronger government this time," Mr Javadekar told news agency ANI.

The Union Minister asserted that BJP was going to win in Haryana too and said that the people were voting for the BJP based on the work done under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The people are coming out to vote in large numbers in both Maharashtra and Haryana. They are once again siding with the BJP, it is because of the work done by both the state governments under the guidance of Narendra Modi," Mr Javadekar said.

Polling for 90 seats of Haryana and 288 constituencies of Maharashtra began at 7 am today and will continue till 6 pm in the evening.

In Maharashtra, BJP is contesting 150 seats while its ally Shiv Sena has fielded 124 candidates. The remaining seats have been left for smaller allies. On the other hand, Congress is contesting the polls in alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

The counting of votes will be done on October 24.
Maharashtra Election Live News: BREAKING: Provisional voter turnout in Maharashtra till 4 pm is 43.8%

Provisional voter turnout in Maharashtra election 2019 till 4 pm is 43.8%.
READ HERE: Maharashtra Election 2019: NCP Leader Sharad Pawar To NDTV On Voting Day: "No Question Of Being In Opposition"
Sharad Pawar, who virtually led the opposition's campaign for the Maharashtra polls, predicted a "change of government" as voting took place in the state today.
Maharashtra Election 2019: SEE PICS: Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri Khan cast their votes in Bandra West, Mumbai

Shah Rukh Khan and his wife Gauri cast their votes at polling booth no 177 in Bandra West, Mumbai, reported news agency ANI.



Maharashtra Election 2019: SEE PICS: Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan cast their vote in Juhu, Mumbai

Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan leave after casting their vote at a polling booth in Mumbai's Juhu area, reported news agency ANI.




Maharashtra Election Live News: 102-year-old Haji Ibrahim Joad cast his vote along with family in Maharashtra: news agency ANI

Haji Ibrahim Aleem Joad, a 102-year-old man cast vote along with his family at a polling booth in Maharashtra's Lohegaon. "I was admitted to hospital for 4 days but today I'm here to cast my vote. I urge everyone to come forward & vote," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Maharashtra Voting Today: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis casts vote with wife Amruta Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis along with his wife Amruta and mother Sarita on Monday cast his vote at a polling station in Nagpur.

The Chief Minister urged people to take part in this democratic process.

"I appeal everyone should come out and vote. This is the time to take part in the process of democracy. People have right to choose their government and those who vote has more right to keep expectations from their government," the Chief Minister was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Elections began on 288 constituencies of Maharashtra at 7 am today and will continue till 6 pm. Counting of votes will be held on October 24.

In Mumbai, 9,894 polling stations have been set up at 1,537 locations. 36 out of 288 seats come in the city of Mumbai where 334 candidates are in the contest, reported ANI. The city has 97.72 lakh registered voters.

BJP is contesting on 164 seats, which includes candidates of smaller allies contesting on its lotus symbol, while its key ally Shiv Sena has fielded 126 candidates.

On the other hand, Congress has candidates in 147 constituencies and NCP will contest 121 seats.
Maharashtra Election Today: Election Commission sets up creches at election booths for kids of women voters: news agency PTI

In a bid to make the polling process convenient for women voters, temporary creches for their children have seen set up for the first time in some Assembly segments of Maharashtra, an official said on Monday, reported news agency PTI.

Since many women voters have no option but to carry their children along with them to the polling booths, the Election Commission came up with this initiative, the EC official said.

"The experiment was carried out for the first time during the Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year, and now the EC has replicated the same concept in the Maharashtra polls," the official was quoted as saying by PTI.

"This is the first time that the EC has come up with such a facility for women voters, who can now keep their children at the creche for a brief period and exercise their franchise," he said.

The initiative was taken after the EC observed how voters travelled to the polling stations and how much average time they spent at the booths, he said.

Most of the urban woman voters were found carrying their children along with them to the booths, he said.

"Since rules prohibit taking children inside the voting room, the EC came up with the concept of setting up temporary creches, having a dedicated anganwadi worker and equipped with some toys for kids to play," he said.

The anganwadi workers are employees of the government-run women and child care centres.
Maharashtra Election 2019: Minor fights reported in Maharashtra's Beed, Jalna districts: news agency PTI

As voting for the Assembly polls progressed across Maharashtra on Monday, reports of minor fights came in from Beed and Jalna districts, officials said late afternoon.

In Beed's Balepeer area, over 380 kilometres from Maharashtra capital Mumbai, supporters of Shiv Sena candidate Jaydatt Kshirsagar and NCP candidate Sandeep Kshirsagar had an altercation over allegations of vehicles being used to ferry voters to polling booths, an official said.

The area was tense for a while before police, as well as the two candidates, defused the situation, he added.

In Jalna's Jamkhed area, over 400 kilometres from Mumbai, two groups owing allegiance to local leaders clashed before being separated by police, an official said.
Maharashtra Election 2019: Mumbai Congress chief Milind Deora appeals to people of Maharashtra to vote in large numbers

Senior Congress leader Milind Deora on Monday appealed the people of Maharashtra, especially youngsters, to come out and vote in large numbers.

"I would like to appeal this to all the people of Maharashtra to come out and cast their precious votes. I would like to request the young voters, especially, to come to vote for progress in Maharashtra," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI after casting his ballot.

On October 14, Congress leader Sanjay Niupam had called Deora ''Nikamma'' (useless) and downplayed speculation over his absence at Rahul Gandhi's rally in the state during the run-up to the elections.

Mr Deora had earlier replaced Mr Nirupam as the Mumbai Congress chief.

Out of the 288 Assembly constituencies in the state, Maharashtra's Armori witnessed the highest voter turnout of 52.89 per cent and Ulhasnagar witnessed the lowest at 15.70 per cent till 1 pm.

Elections began on 288 constituencies of Maharashtra at 7 am today and will continue till 6 pm. Counting of votes will be held on October 24.
Maharashtra Election Live News: Only 34% Voter Turnout Till 3 pm

Just In: The voter turnout till 3 pm for the Maharashtra Assembly election has been a low 34.2 per cent, down 11.5 per cent from what it was at 3 pm in the 2019 assembly polls.
Maharashtra Election Live News: Actor Shah Rukh Khan And His Wife Gauri Vote In Mumbai's Bandra (West)

Maharashtra Election 2019: "If He Can Vote, What's Stopping You?" Smriti Irani Introduces Khanna-ji

Maharashtra Election 2019: Shabana Azmi And Javed Akhtar Cast Their Vote At A Polling Booth In Mumbai

Maharashtra Election 2019: Actor Deepika Padukone Votes In Mumbai's Bandra (West)

Maharashtra Election 2019: Sachin Tendulkar Appeals To All Eligible Voters To Come Out And Vote

Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar led the sports fraternity to vote for the Maharashtra Assembly elections on Monday, and appealed to people to come out in large numbers to exercise their democratic right. Sachin Tendulkar cast his vote along with wife Anjali and son Arjun at a polling booth in suburban Bandra.

After voting, Mr Tendulkar said, "This morning, I read in a newspaper something which is not so common and talks about commitment. The article made a mention of three senior citizens, including one wheelchair-bound 94-year-old person, who was going to make an effort to come out and vote."

The other two senior citizens, 100 and 106 years old, were also making an effort to go to vote, he said, quoting the article.

"So, I think, we could change our tomorrow and make it better. Whoever you feel like supporting, whoever you believe in, you should go out and vote. Whoever is eligible to vote, must vote," he added.

Former India player Sandeep Patil, who was part of the 1983 World Cup winning team, also cast his vote at a polling booth in Shivaji Park area in central Mumbai. Legendary batsman Dilip Vengsarkar, who stays in Worli area of Mumbai, also voted.

Maharashtra Election Live News: Voter Turnout Crawls To 30.8%. Last 4 Hours Of Polling Left

Just In: Maharashtra has seen a significant drop in voter turnout till 2 pm, when this year's election statistic is compared with the same time in 2014. With only four hours of polling left in the state, the voter turnout stands at only 30.8 per cent.
Maharashtra Election Live News: Actors Anil Kapoor And Hrithik Roshan Vote In Mumbai's Andheri (West)

Maharashtra Election 2019: EVM Or Voting Glitches At Several Polling Stations Reported

Faulty Electronic Voting Machines or EVMs have delayed polling at some booths in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri and Bhandara districts on Monday, an official told news agency Press Trust of India. Polling was also stopped for sometime at a booth in Mumbai's Worli due to a technical error, he said.

The state Congress unit also sent 187 complaints to the Election Commission of malfunctioning of EVMs.

In Ratnagiri's Dhamangaon village, polling was stopped at a booth from 8:30 am to 10 am due to a technical fault in the electronic voting machine (EVM), he said. The EVM glitch also halted the polling process at a booth in Kalamban Gavhanwadi village in Ratnagiri since 9:42 am, he said, adding that voting resumed there around 12:30 pm.

In Bhandara district, polling was disrupted from 9:15 am to 9:35 am due to a similar issue, he said. Long queues were witnessed outside these polling stations as the voting process was disrupted.

In Mumbai, polling at a centre near the Doordarshan office in Worli area was halted for sometime due to a technical error, the official told news agency PTI. However, the issue was resolved soon and polling resumed, he added.

Polling was underway in all 288 Assembly seats since 7 am and will end at 6 pm.
Maharashtra Election Live News: Massive Drop In Voter Turnout Till 1 pm

Just In: Data from the Election Commission show a massive drop in voter turnout till 1 pm. The voter turnout till was only 17.8 per cent, down 15.3 per cent when compared to the turnout till 1 pm in 2014.
Elections 2019: States And Constituencies, Apart From Maharashtra, Where Elections Are Being Held Today

Apart from Maharashtra, assembly elections are also under way in Haryana. Like Maharashtra, Haryana too has a BJP government in the state since 2014. Both Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar are seeking to be elected for a second successive term.

By-elections are also being held in 53 other constituencies across India. 51 of these are assembly bypolls, while two constituencies are holding by-elections for Lok Sabha seats.

By-elections are taking place in Arunachal Pradesh (1 seat), Assam (4 seats), Bihar (5 assembly seats + 1 Lok Sabha seat), Chhattisgarh (1 seat), Gujarat (6 seats), Andhra Pradesh (2 seats), Kerala (5 seats), Meghalaya (1 seat), Maharashtra (1 seat - Lok Sabha), Madhya Pradesh (1 seat), Odisha (1 seat), Puducherry (1 seat), Punjab (4 seats), Rajasthan (2 seats), Sikkim (3 seats), Tamil Nadu (2 seats), Telangana (1 seat), Uttar Pradesh (11 seats).
Maharashtra Election Live News: Actor and BJP MP Hema Malini Votes In Mumbai's Andheri (West)

Maharashtra Election Live News: Union Minister Smriti Irani Votes At A Polling Booth In Mumbai

Appealing to all the voters in Maharashtra to come out and vote, Ms Irani said, "Today's hero is Khanna ji (man standing next to her). He had served in the Indian Army. He is 93 and came out to vote. It is an inspiration... request people to come out and vote. If at 93 he can vote, who is stopping you?" she asked.

Maharashtra Election 2019: Stats And Facts

Maharashtra Election 2019: Panvel is the largest Assembly constituency having 5,54,827 voters, while Wardha is the smallest constituency with 2,77,980 voters in Maharashtra.
An elderly voter from Maharashtra's Gondia shows how age is just a number

Maharashtra Election 2019: Renowned Film Director, Lyricist And Poet Gulzar Voted In Mumbai Today

Maharashtra Election Live News: Actor Govinda And His Wife Sunita Vote In Andheri (West)

Maharashtra Election Live News: NCP or Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar Votes In Mumbai

Maharashtra Election Live News: Sachin Tendulkar, His Wife Anjali And Their Son Arjun Vote In Mumbai's Bandra (West)

Oct 21, 2019 12:14 (IST)