HomePolitics NewsStage set for Maharashtra, Haryana Assembly polls

Stage set for Maharashtra, Haryana Assembly polls

The stage is all set for Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana, where voting will begin at 7 AM today.

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By CNBC-TV18 October 21, 2019, 7:02:47 AM IST (Updated)

Stage set for Maharashtra, Haryana Assembly polls
The stage is all set for Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana, where voting will begin at 7 AM today.


Some 3,239 candidates are in the fray for the 288 seats in Maharashtra, the third-largest Legislative Assembly after Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

The main contests shall be between the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena and Opposition Congress-NCP alliances.

The Election Commission has planned to use 1,79,895 ballot units and 1,26,505 control units at 96,661 polling stations. The Maharashtra Assembly election will, for the first time, witness use of VVPAT (voter-verifiable paper audit trail) machines. Total 1,35,021 VVPAT machines will be used.

The EC has decided to conduct live webcasting from over 9,000 polling stations, including sensitive ones, during the next week's Maharashtra Assembly elections.

In Haryana, some 1,169 candidates are in the fray for the 90 seats.

The main contest is between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has set a target of winning 75 seats for itself riding on the hype of the abrogation of Article 370 and the National Citizens Register (NRC).

The Congress is focusing on issues like the economic slowdown, rising unemployment and farmers distress in its campaign.

While the BJP and the Congress are contesting on all 90 seats, the BSP is in the fray on 87 seats, and the INLD is contesting on 81 seats. There are some 375 candidates contesting as Independents.

(Inputs from IANS)