Maharashtra polls: MoS Raksha Khadse casts her vote at polling booth in Jalgaon

The Minister of State casts her vote at a booth in Kothali under the Muktainagar Assembly constituency.

Taking to social media platform X, Khadse said, "Exercised my right to vote at the booth at Kothali (Muktainagar) under Muktainagar Assembly."

Earlier today, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde cast his vote at a polling booth in Kopri-Pachpakhadi, Thane, in the Maharashtra Assembly Elections that began this morning.

After voting, the incumbent Chief Minister, along with his family, showed his inked finger to the media. Shinde, who became the 20th Chief Minister of Maharashtra after leading a rebellion against Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, is a four-time-elected MLA from the Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency in Thane.

Voting for the single-phase Maharashtra assembly elections began at 7 am today and will conclude at 6 this evening. 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 the 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.

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)