Thane: On Wednesday morning, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde cast his vote at a polling booth in the Kopri-Pachpakhadi area of Thane, as voting for the state’s assembly elections began. After voting, Shinde, accompanied by his family, proudly displayed his inked finger to the media.
Shinde, who became Maharashtra's 20th Chief Minister after leading a rebellion against Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, is a four-time elected Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency.
Earlier, his brother, Prakash Sambhaji Shinde, urged voters to support Eknath Shinde in the elections. “The Chief Minister is contesting from Kopri-Pachpakhadi. I encourage everyone to vote. CM Shinde has done a lot for Maharashtra, and the people of the state want him back as CM,” Prakash Shinde said. He also expressed confidence in Shiv Sena's strong performance in the elections, mentioning that the party had a good strike rate in the Lok Sabha elections. “I hope he will win with a lead of at least 1.5 lakh votes due to his hard work. He has been an MLA for 20 years. Mahayuti will win again,” he added.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister and BJP candidate from Nagpur South-West, Devendra Fadnavis, addressed ongoing allegations involving BJP leader Vinod Tawde. Fadnavis firmly denied any wrongdoing, saying, “As for Vinod Tawde, I clarified yesterday that no money was distributed, nor was any found with him. A deliberate attempt was made to create controversy.” He also urged people to vote, emphasizing the importance of voting in a democracy. “Voting is not just our right, but also our responsibility. The biggest festival of democracy is happening. I voted along with my family, and I urge everyone to vote in large numbers,” Fadnavis said.
Voting for the single-phase Maharashtra assembly elections started at 7 a.m. today and will conclude at 6 p.m. Polling is being held across all 288 assembly constituencies.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also encouraged citizens to vote, posting on his official social media account: “Today, votes will be cast for all the seats in the Maharashtra Assembly elections. I urge the voters of the state to participate enthusiastically and make this festival of democracy even more meaningful. I appeal to youth and women voters to come out in large numbers and vote.”
The main contest is between the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance and the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The Mahayuti alliance includes the BJP, Shiv Sena, and the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction), while the opposition MVA is made up of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction).
In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, the BJP secured 105 seats, Shiv Sena won 56, and Congress obtained 44. In the 2014 elections, BJP won 122 seats, Shiv Sena 63, and Congress 42.
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