Assembly Elections 2024
The assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand were held in November. Maharashtra voted in a single phase on November 20. Jharkhand voted in two phases – November 13 and 20. Maharashtra has 288 seats, and Jharkhand has 81. Votes are being counted on November 23 for both the state elections. The two assembly elections were held about a month after the results of Haryana and J&K assembly elections were declared. The BJP defied exit polls and retained Haryana for a record third straight term. In Jammu and Kashmir, the National Conference and Congress alliance won the assembly elections – the first in ten years.
1. Maharashtra Assembly Elections
The 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly voted in a single phase on November 20. The incumbent assembly’s term will end on November 26, three days after the results are declared. The five years of the outgoing assembly were marred by political turmoil. The state saw three different chief ministers: BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis, Shiv Sena’s (UBT) Uddhav Thackeray, and now Shiv Sena’s (SHS) Eknath Shinde. This time, the battle for Maharashtra was largely bipolar between the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The BJP is in alliance with Ajit Pawar-led NCP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena under the ruling Mahayuti banner of the NDA. The Shiv Sena (UBT), the NCP (Sharad Pawar), and the Congress are part of the opposition MVA alliance of the INDIA bloc. The stakes have never been higher in Maharashtra. As key players vied for control in one of the richest states of India, the results is more than just a battle for power. While it was a test of leadership legacies for many, it is also a battle for political survival for others. In the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, the BJP lost ground in Maharashtra. It won just 9 of the 28 seats it contested in 2024, compared to 23 of the 25 seats it contested in the 2019 general elections. Exit polls predicted a sweep for Mahayuti alliance. The results in Maharashtra tested the BJP’s momentum post-Haryana win. The election will also be another test for the INDIA bloc, as major players in the opposition alliance contested the polls. The election tested BJP’s ability to stay in power with the help of regional parties – the Shiv Sena and NCP factions, in this case. A victory in Maharashtra undoubtedly bolsters the BJP’s reach beyond its traditional strongholds in the north.
The five years of the outgoing assembly were marred by political turmoil. The state saw three different chief ministers: BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis, Shiv Sena’s (UBT) Uddhav Thackeray, and now Shiv Sena’s (SHS) Eknath Shinde.
This time, the battle for Maharashtra is largely bipolar between the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The BJP is allied with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena under the ruling Mahayuti banner of the NDA. The Shiv Sena (UBT), the NCP (Sharad Pawar), and the Congress are part of the opposition MVA alliance of the INDIA bloc..
Exit polls predicted a sweep for Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra. The stakes have never been higher in Maharashtra. As key players vie for control in one of the richest states of India, the election is more than just a battle for power. While it is a test of leadership legacies for many, it is also a battle for political survival for others.
In the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, the BJP lost ground in Maharashtra. It won just 9 of the 28 seats it contested in 2024, compared to 23 of the 25 seats it contested in the 2019 general elections.
The results in Maharashtra will test BJP’s momentum post Haryana win. The election will also be another test for the INDIA bloc, as major players in the opposition alliance are in the fray here.
The BJP’s fight in Maharashtra is not directly with the Congress as much as it is with regional players. The saffron party has been keen to consolidate its position in Maharashtra, where it has faced challenges from regional players.
The upcoming election will test BJP’s ability to stay in power with the help of regional parties – the Shiv Sena and NCP factions, in this case. A victory in Maharashtra would certainly bolster the BJP’s reach beyond its traditional strongholds in the north.
2. Jharkhand Assembly Elections
The 81-member Jharkhand Assembly voted in two phases — November 13 and November 20. The term of the incumbent assembly ends on January 5, 2025.
The contest in Jharkhand, bifurcated from Bihar in 2000, was between the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led INDIA bloc and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance. Exit polls predicted a close fight in Jharkhand.
In the 2019 Assembly Elections, the JMM emerged as the largest party with 30 seats, while the BJP bagged 25 seats. The Congress won 16 seats, the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) got three seats, while the All Jharkhand Students Union won 2 seats. JMM formed a government with the support of Congress and RJD.
The ruling alliance contested the 2024 assembly election again with Hemant Soren-led JMM fielding candidates on 43 seats. The Congress fielded candidates from 30 constituencies. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) contested six seats while the Left parties contested three seats.
FAQs in Assembly Elections 2024
Voting for all 288 seats of the Maharashtra legislative assembly will be held in a single phase on November 20.
The votes will be counted on November 23.
The votes will be counted for Jharkhand Assembly polls on November 23.
Voting for all 81 seats of the Jharkhand legislative assembly will be held in two phases – November 13 and November 20. The first phase will see voting for 43 seats while 38 remaining seats will vote in the second and last phase.
A party or an alliance needs to have at least 145 MLAs to form government in Maharashtra.
Out of 288, 234 seats in Maharashtra are general category. 25 seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs) and 29 seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs).
Maharashtra has 9.63 crore eligible voters. This includes 4.97 crore male voters and 4.66 crores female voters. There are 1.85 crore young voters (age 18-29).
There are 20.93 lakh first-time voters (age 18-19) in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra has 1,00,186 polling stations spread across 52,789 locations. This includes 42,604 urban polling booths and 57,582 rural polling booths. 299 polling booths are managed by Persons with Disabilities (PwD). 388 polling booths managed completely by women – called pink polling booths.
As many as 4,140 candidates are in the fray for 288 Maharashtra assembly seats voting on November 20.
Eknath Shinde, Kedar Dighe, Devendra Fadnavis, Praful Gudadhe, Ajit Pawar, Yugendra Pawar, Milind Deora, Aaditya Thackeray, Zeeshan Siddique, Varun Sardesai, Amit Thackeray
Sharad Pawar, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray, Eknath Shinde, Ajit Pawar, Nana Patole, Raj Thackeray
A party or an alliance needs to have at least 41 MLAs to form a government in Jharkhand.
Jharkhand has 2.6 crore eligible voters. Among these, 1.31 crore are male voters and 1.29 crore are females.
The prominent candidates in the first phase include former Chief Minister Champai Soren who is contesting for the first time as a BJP candidate (Saraikela), Odisha governor and former CM Raghubar Das daughter-in-law Purnima Das Sahu (Jamshedpur East) and Saryu Roy is contesting as Janata Dal -(United) candidate (Jamshedpur West).
The prominent candidates are in second phase in which the fate of Chief Minister Hemant Soren (Barhait), his wife Kalapana Soren (Gandey), his brother Basant Soren (Dumka), BJP state president Babulal Marandi (Dhanwar), Amar Kumar Bauri (Chandankiyari), Shibu Soren daughter-in-law Sita Soren (Jamtara) and AJSU president Sudhesh Mahato (Silli) will be decided.
Hemant Soren, Babulal Marandi, Himanta Biswa Sarma , Champai Soren, Kalpana Soren