Polling teams departed for their designated booths across Maharashtra on Tuesday as the state gears up for the 2024 Assembly elections to elect a new government. The election marks a high-stakes battle between two major alliances: the ruling Mahayuti, comprising the BJP, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which includes Congress, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SCP), and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT).
In Nagpur, Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for the North Nagpur Assembly constituency were stored at Saint Ursula School and dispatched to polling booths earlier today. Returning Officer Swati Desai explained the systematic dispatch process.
“They (polling parties) have been given training twice. This is the third training as well as their dispatch. We have set up a total of 40 tables here. 10-12 polling booths come under each table. We have kept machines as per that on all tables, and according to that we have gotten the machines, kept the material on the table and according to the number of the booth we are giving the material. All polling parties checked their material. If everything is good, we will dispatch them in buses,” Desai said during the EVM checks.
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In the Baramati Assembly constituency, preparations were also in full swing. Baramati Sub Divisional Officer and Returning Officer Vaibhav Navadkar highlighted the measures undertaken for smooth polling. Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar, the sitting MLA from Baramati, faces a tough contest against NCP (SP)’s Yungendra Pawar in the constituency, which has over 386 polling booths.
“In Baramati Assembly Constituency, there are 386 polling booths. The polling parties have been dispatched to their respective polling booths. We have deployed sector officers in 39 sectors…A constable has been assigned to each polling party. The mock poll will start tomorrow at 5:30 in the morning and polling will start at 7 in the morning. All the requisite facilities have been assured at every polling booth. We have established a pink booth also,” said Navadkar.
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Maharashtra heads to the polls tomorrow in an intense electoral battle with significant implications for political players across its 288 Assembly seats. Leaders from both the Mahayuti and MVA alliances conducted extensive campaigns, offering major pre-poll promises. Observers suggest that local factors will play a crucial role in shaping the results.
This is the first Assembly election following the splits in the Shiv Sena and the NCP, making it pivotal for various stakeholders. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, who lost his Chief Ministerial position after his party split in 2022, aims to make a strong comeback. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, bolstered by welfare measures introduced by the Mahayuti government, seeks to cement his position as the rightful heir to Balasaheb Thackeray’s legacy.
The NCP, which saw a division with Ajit Pawar joining the ruling alliance as Deputy Chief Minister last year, is also in the spotlight. Sharad Pawar, now heading the NCP (SP), has maintained a focused campaign to uphold his enduring political legacy amidst these changes.
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