The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the election schedule for Maharashtra and Jharkhand on Tuesday. Maharashtra will hold its assembly election in a single phase on November 20, 2024, while Jharkhand will conduct its election in two phases on November 13 and November 20, 2024.
Additionally, bypolls for 48 assembly constituencies and two Lok Sabha seats will take place in two phases alongside the assembly elections in these states. The results for both states are set to be declared on November 23. The term of the Maharashtra assembly ends on November 26, 2024, and the term for the Jharkhand assembly expires on January 5, 2025.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar shared that Jharkhand has 2.60 crore eligible voters, with 1.31 crore male voters and 1.29 crore female voters. Among them, 11.84 lakh are first-time voters, and 66.84 lakh are young voters. Maharashtra has a total of 9.63 crore voters, comprising 4.97 crore males and 4.66 crore females, with 1.85 crore young voters, including 20.93 lakh first-time voters. The Gazette notification for the two phases in Jharkhand will be issued on October 18 and 22, respectively, with the last dates for filing nominations being October 25 and 29. Scrutiny of nominations will occur on October 28 and 30, with the withdrawal deadlines being October 30 and November 1. In Maharashtra, the Gazette notification will be issued on October 22, nominations are due by October 29, and the scrutiny will take place on October 30. The final date for withdrawal of candidacies is November 4. Senior citizens over 85 years old can vote from home.
The Maharashtra elections will be a significant contest between two major alliances: the ruling Mahayuti (comprising BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP) and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (including Congress, Shiv Sena UBT, and NCP-SP). In Jharkhand, the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led alliance will face the BJP-led NDA, which nearly swept the Lok Sabha elections in the state.
Bypolls for 47 assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat will take place on November 13, alongside Jharkhand’s first phase of elections. The remaining assembly bypoll for Kedarnath in Uttarakhand, along with the Nanded Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra, will occur on November 20, coinciding with Maharashtra’s elections. The bypoll for Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, vacated by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who chose to retain Rae Bareli after winning both seats in the 2024 general elections, will be held on November 13.
