The Election Commission of India (ECI) is poised to announce the highly anticipated schedule for the Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly elections at 3:30 PM on Tuesday. This announcement comes at a critical juncture, as by-elections are also expected to take place for three Lok Sabha seats, including the notable Wayanad constituency in Kerala, along with at least 47 assembly seats across various states.
In a significant development, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recently vacated the Wayanad seat, choosing to retain his position in Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli after his success in the summer Lok Sabha polls. The announcement of the by-polls is expected to coincide with the assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, where the tenures of the respective assemblies are set to expire on November 26 and January 5.
The forthcoming polls in Maharashtra and Jharkhand mark the second major electoral exercise following the recent Lok Sabha elections, during which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) achieved an unexpected victory in Haryana, returning to power for a record third consecutive term. The Haryana elections were held concurrently with the Jammu & Kashmir polls, where the National Conference-led alliance emerged victorious.
Despite predictions of a Congress win in Haryana, the BJP defied anti-incumbency sentiments, securing its highest vote share and achieving a remarkable tally of 48 out of 90 seats. The Congress, which had previously captured five out of ten seats in Haryana during the national polls this summer, struggled to maintain its momentum. In contrast, its performance in Maharashtra was more favorable, as the party emerged as the largest faction in the Lok Sabha elections, clinching 13 out of 48 seats.
In Maharashtra’s Lok Sabha elections, the BJP and Shiv Sena (UBT) each secured nine seats, while the Nationalist Congress Party led by Sharad Pawar garnered eight seats, and the Shiv Sena won seven. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and independent candidates accounted for one seat each. The Opposition coalition, Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), achieved significant results in Maharashtra, winning 30 out of 40 Lok Sabha seats, thereby marking a robust overall performance with a total of 233 constituencies across the country, while limiting the BJP to 240, just short of the majority threshold of 272 seats.
With the announcement of the assembly poll schedule imminent, all eyes will be on the ECI as political parties prepare for a competitive electoral landscape in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
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