Maharashtra Elections 2024: Check What's Open And What's Closed On Nov. 20

Maharashtra will vote in a single phase for all 288 Assembly seats on Wednesday, November 20. Ahead of the elections, authorities have come up with a slew of directives with regard to institutions and services.

As per the Maharashtra government order, November 20 has been declared a public holiday across the state to enable voters to cast their vote for the Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024.

Here is a list of institutions and services that will remain open or closed on November 20, when Maharashtra goes to the polls.

Public Transport

Public transport will remain functional on November 20. In Mumbai, public commuting facilities like the Metro and BEST bus services will be available till midnight.

Hospitals

Emergency services like hospitals, medicine shops and ambulance services will remain open on polling day.

Banks

According to the Maharashtra government order, all public and private sector banks will remain closed on November 20. However, online transactions and ATM services will be available.

Educational Institutions

Schools, colleges and other educational institutes across the state will also remain closed on November 20 on account of voting.

Stock Market

The stock exchanges, NSE and BSE, which are based in Mumbai, will also observe a holiday on the day. This means no trading will take place on November 20.

Offices

Apart from government offices in Maharashtra, all employees working within Mumbai have been granted paid leave on November 20 to cast their votes, according to a BMC notification. Emergency workers will be granted a four-hour window to cast their votes.

Alcohol Shops

Liquor shops in Maharashtra will remain closed on November 20 due to the elections.

The Maharashtra Assembly elections will see a direct fight between the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). While the Mahayuti alliance comprises three parties, including Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) and the BJP, the MVA consists of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction), NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) and Congress.

Both the alliances have entered into separate seat sharing alliances. In the Mahayuti alliance, the BJP has secured the highest seat share. The saffron party will contest from 148 constituencies. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena is fielding its candidates from 80 constituencies, while Ajit Pawar’s NCP will contest from 53 seats. This brings the total number to 281 seats. The remaining seven will be divided among other smaller allies.

On the other hand, among the MVA allies, the Congress has fielded 103 candidates, while Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) is contesting in 83 Assembly constituencies. Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar’s NCP has bagged 87 seats in the deal. The remaining nine seats are likely to be divided among smaller allies.

The Maharashtra Assembly elections results will be announced on November 23.