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Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan on Wednesday cast his vote at the polling booth in Raj Bhavan, under the Colaba Assembly constituency, as voting began for the state's Assembly elections.
Speaking to reporters after voting, Governor Radhakrishnan urged citizens to participate actively. "Ours is the biggest democracy in the world. My appeal to all the youngsters, elders, and women is to come and vote. Whomever they want to vote for is their choice, but they should come out and vote. This is the basic duty of every citizen that whenever there is an election, we should go to the polling booth and vote," he said. From Colaba, BJP's Rahul Narwekar, representing the Mahayuti alliance, is contesting against the Congress candidate Heera Devasi from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, contesting from the Baramati Assembly constituency, also cast his vote. After voting, he said, "Even during Lok Sabha elections, members of our family were contesting against each other, and everyone has seen that. I tried to meet everyone in Baramati. I am hopeful that this time the people of Baramati will make me victorious." Addressing allegations of money distribution by BJP's Vinod Tawde, he added, "The people of Baramati will think about it." RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat, who returned from Uttaranchal to vote, said, "In a democracy, voting is a citizen's duty. Every citizen should perform this duty. Everyone should vote." Voting began at 7 am for the single-phase Maharashtra assembly elections and will conclude at 6 pm. Polling is taking place across 288 assembly constituencies. Ahead of the elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to vote via his official account on social media platform X. "Today, votes will be cast for all the seats in the Maharashtra Assembly elections. I urge the voters of the state to participate with full enthusiasm and add to the splendour of this festival of democracy. On this occasion, I appeal to all the youth and women voters to come out in large numbers to vote," PM Modi posted on X. Security has been heightened in Mumbai ahead of voting day. Police have been conducting checks on vehicle movements, particularly in areas such as Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar and Dharavi.Elaborate security arrangements have been made to ensure the smooth conduct of the polls. Mumbai Police has deployed over 25,000 personnel, including riot-control teams and home guards. According to the Brihanmumbai Police Commissionerate, more than 2,000 police officers and over 25,000 police personnel are on duty to maintain law and order during the elections. A total of 4,136 candidates are contesting the elections, including 2,086 independents. The BJP is contesting 149 seats, Shiv Sena 81, and the NCP 59. The Congress has fielded 101 candidates, Shiv Sena (UBT) 95, and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) 86. The BSP is contesting 237 seats, while other smaller parties are also in the fray. The state has approximately 9.7 crore registered voters.Maharashtra witnessed a high-decibel campaign ahead of the elections for its 288 assembly seats. The intense campaigning ended on Monday, November 18, 2024, paving the way for today's voting.The battle for power in the Maharashtra Assembly has been characterised by shifting alliances, ideological conflicts, complex caste dynamics, and emotional appeals. The primary contest is between the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance and the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance includes the BJP, Shiv Sena, and the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction), while the opposition MVA comprises the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction). In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena secured 56, and the Congress won 44. In 2014, the BJP claimed 122 seats, Shiv Sena 63, and the Congress 42. (ANI)
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