Maharashtra Assembly Polls Delayed; EC To Focus On Haryana, J&K First
The previous assembly election in Maharashtra was held in October 2019.
The dates for Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 were to be announced on Friday by the Election Commission of India but were not announced, potentially pushing the dates further than expected.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said that in the previous election, Maharashtra and Haryana polls were conducted together, as Jammu and Kashmir was not a factor. However, this year, with J&K and other states included, there are five elections scheduled.
Given the logistical and force requirements, the decision was made to combine the Haryana and J&K elections. Therefore, the elections for Maharashtra will be scheduled separately, he said.
Factors influencing this decision include the monsoon season and the festive season. Considering these events, the commission determined it was feasible to manage only two states at a time.
Legislative assemblies in Haryana and Maharashtra are set to complete their terms on Nov. 3 and Nov. 26, respectively. The polling date for Haryana is set for Oct. 1. Assembly elections in J&K will happen in three phases on Sept. 18, Sept. 25 and Oct. 1, respectively.
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The Election Commission was scheduled to announce the dates for assembly elections in Maharashtra on Friday to elect 288 members of the Legislative Assembly. The previous assembly election in Maharashtra was held in October 2019.
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance achieved a majority to form the government, but due to internal conflict, Shiv Sena left the alliance to form a new alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi, with the Nationalist Congress Party and Indian National Congress. The MVA formed the state government, with Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray becoming chief minister. In June 2022, the Thackeray government collapsed after defections and the NDA returned to power with Eknath Shinde as the CM.
This time, the MVA, comprising Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharad Pawar), and Congress, is preparing to challenge the ruling NDA alliance. The Mahayuti alliance consists of the BJP, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction).
