Mumbai:

Devendra Fadnavis, the Chief Minister elect of Maharashtra, has met Governor CP Radhakrishnan and staked claim to form government, two weeks after the assembly election results were declared. 

He was accompanied by allies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. 

The meeting comes shortly after the BJP ended the long-drawn suspense over the Chief Minister post, naming him for the position.

“We have submitted a claim to form a new cabinet in the state as per the rules. After the Governor accepted the claim, we have been given the time for the oath ceremony on December 5  at 5.30 pm,” he told reporters after the meeting.

Giving “special thanks” to Eknath Shinde, he said, “Yesterday I requested Eknath Shinde to remain in power… The Chief Minister post is just a technical agreement between us… we have been together to take decisions and will continue to do so”. 
 

Mumbai:

Two days ahead of the oath ceremony of the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra, the ruling alliance is yet to announce the name of the incumbent. Sources, though, say a formula has been arrived at for the division of ministerial berths.

Sources said power sharing will be based on a 6-1 formula — meaning one ministerial post will be given for every six MLAs a party has. 

Under the formula, as expected, the BJP, which won a whopping 132 seats, will also have the maximum number of ministerial posts. Its two allies — Shiv Sena of Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party faction have also struck a profitable deal.

In numbers, it would translate to 20 to 22 ministerial posts for the BJP. Eknath Shinde’s party will have 12 spots and Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP can be given 9 to 10 ministerial posts.

The tussle though, is over the portfolios, especially the Home Ministry, which Devendra Fadnavis has been handling for years. The Eknath Shinde faction of Sena argues that that the portfolio should be compensation if they have to accept the post of Mr Fadnavis’s Deputy.

Ajit Pawar’s NCP, meanwhile, has demanded a share equal to that of the Shinde faction in the new government, sources said. NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal has declared their “strike rate” is better and so ministerial posts should be given accordingly.

The niggles, coupled with the knotty question of Chief Ministership,  accounts for the massive delay in an announcement.

The big reveal is expected to be on Wednesday, when the BJP legislators meet to pick a chief of the legislature party.

As to who it would be – most are betting on Devendra Fadnavis, who met Eknath Shinde earlier today in what many said was to pour oil on troubled waters.

Mr Shinde, who had gone off to his village in Satara after declaring that he would not be an “obstacle” to the BJP decision, was admitted in a hospital today. His team called it a “routine check-up”.

Since the results were declared, leaders of all three parties in the ruling alliance have said they would sit down together and take a call on the issue. But 10 days on, there has been no announcement, drawing Opposition jibes.

Led by Mr Fadnavis, the BJP won the highest ever 132 seats for the party, while the Shiv Sena faction led by Mr Shinde bagged 57 seats. Ajit Pawar’s faction of the Nationalist Congress Party won 41 seats, taking the ruling alliance Mahayuti score to a whopping 230 of the state’s 288 seats.
 

The demand for naming Devendra Fadnavis as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra is growing. This time, posters have come up in Nagpur reinforcing the demand and the people who put it up includes an MLA from the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena. 

Nagpur South West is the constituency of Mr Fadnavis and the posters were put up by Sena MLA Ashish Jaiswal and the BJP MLA from Malkapur-Nandaura, Chainsukh Sancheti.

This evening, reports said the name of Mr Fadnavis has been finalised as the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra. 

Quoting an unnamed senior leader of the BJP, news  Prsss Trust of India reported that the name of Devendra Fadnavis has been finalised as the new chief minister of Maharashtra. The meeting to elect him as the new BJP legislature party leader will be held on December 2 or 3.  

Earlier today, outgoing Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, seen as a contender for the top post, reiterated that he would support the BJP’s choice of Chief Minister — a declaration he had made on Wednesday. But till date, there has been no announcement.

“This government is the people’s government. I have clarified my role. The honourable Prime Minister and the honourable Home Minister will take the final decision on (Chief Minister). They (BJP MLAs) are meeting tomorrow. It will be decided. Don’t worry,” he told the media today.

On Thursday, ahead of a key meeting with senior BJP leader Amit Shah, sources had said that the Chief Minister would be from the BJP, and he would have two deputies.

The delay in announcement has drawn jibes from the Opposition. Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray said it was an :”insult” to Maharashtra. 

“It seems that rules only apply to the opposition parties, while rules don’t for some special ones. To declare the swearing in date, unilaterally, without even staking claim to form government and show numbers to the Hon’ble Governor, is pure anarchy,” he said in a post on X.

The ruling alliance Mahayuti had won a whopping 230 of the state’s 288 assembly seats in the recently concluded state election. The BJP led with 132 seats, giving it claim to the top job, while Mr Shinde’s Shiv Sena got 57 and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party 41.

New Delhi:

The ruling Mahayuti sailed past the majority mark – 145 – in early leads as counting began Saturday for the Maharashtra Assembly election. The alliance – fronted by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party factions led by Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar – was ahead in 175 seats by 9.33 am. The Maha Vikas Aghadi  – the Congress and the Sena and NCP groups led by Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar – is ahead in 81.

Within the Mahayuti, it is the BJP that is ahead; the saffron party is leading in 96 of the 149 seats it is contesting. The Shinde Sena is ahead in 49 of the 81 it is contesting and Ajit Pawar’s NCP 30 of 59.

Across the aisle in the MVA, the Congress is leading in 32 of the 101 seats it has entered, while Sharad Pawar’s NCP is ahead in 24 of 86 and the Thackeray Sena in 24 of 95.

Big Names

Outgoing Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy, Ajit Pawar, and Aaditya Thackeray, the son of ex-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, are among the many big names contesting this election.

Also in the spotlight is Zeeshan Siddiqui of the Ajit Pawar NCP faction; Mr Siddiqui is the son of ex-Maharashtra minister Baba Siddiqui, who was shot dead by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang last month.

Eknath Shinde faces Thackeray Sena leader Kedar Dighe – the nephew of his mentor, Anand Dighe – for Thane’s Kopri-Pachpakhadi seat. At 9.30 am Mr Shinde led by over 4,000 votes.

Ajit Pawar faces a Pawar vs Pawar battle against uncle Sharad Pawar’s grandnephew, Yugendra Pawar, in the family stronghold of Baramati. Mr Pawar is leading that contest, for now.

READ | Ajit Pawar Ahead Of Nephew Yugendra In Baramati Family Battle

Aaditya Thackeray is up against ex-Congress veteran Milind Deora, who jumped to the Shinde Sena faction. The two are contesting the Worli Assembly seat, where Thackeray junior is 500 votes ahead.

READ | “My Karmabhoomi“: Milind Deora On Worli Battle vs Aaditya Thackeray

Zeeshan Siddiqui – who declared he would carry on his father’s “roar” – faces Varun Sardesai, Uddhav Thackeray’s nephew, in Bandra (East). Initial trends for this seat have not yet been declared.

Voting for this election took place in a single phase on Wednesday.

The Maharashtra Assembly has 288 seats and the majority mark is 145.

What Exit Polls Said

The MVA had only been given a (very) slim chance of upsetting the in-power BJP-led alliance’s applecart in the final election of the year; only one of 11 exit polls studied by NDTV believed it can win. Three others were on the fence but even they tilted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party.

An average of those 11 exit polls gives the Mahayuti 155 seats and the MVA only 120, with smaller parties and independent candidates expected to get the remaining 13.

But a health warning: exit polls often get it wrong.

A majority of those exit polls predicted a big win for the Mahayuti.

READ | NDA Has Edge But 3 Exit Polls Predict Hung Assembly

Across the aisle, only one – Electoral Edge – expected the Congress’ alliance to win and, even then, by five seats only, with 20 seats from smaller parties and independents in play for the BJP.

However, Thackeray Sena MP Sanjay Raut has rubbished the predictions, pointing to incorrect previews of the Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir elections and insisting the MVA will win.

READ | Mahayuti vs MVA On “Fraud” Exit Polls As Maharashtra Awaits Result

“They said Congress would win Haryana but what happened? They said Modiji would get 400 seats in the Lok Sabha… but what happened there? You will see… we will win 160-165 seats,” he declared.

Voter Turnout

Polling on Wednesday saw a voter turnout of 65.1 per cent – the highest since the 63.4 per cent recorded for the 2004 and 2014 elections and the second highest since 71.5 per cent in 1995.

The increased voter turnout has been flagged by both alliances as ‘proof positive’ that their side will emerge triumphant when votes are counted, although conventional wisdom suggests high voter turnout is bad news for the incumbent party or candidate.

READ | 65.1% Voter Turnout Is 2nd Highest 1990s, Highest In A Decade

Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis declared, “Increase in voting percentage means it is in favour of the current government… it means people are supporting the current government.”

Race For Chief Minister’s Post

Meanwhile, away from the ballot boxes there is jostling and shoving offstage as senior figures within each alliance bid to replace Mr Shinde as Chief Minister. And that race looks to have exposed cracks in each alliance, with each party talking up its candidates for the top post.

Claims by the Congress’ state unit chief, Nana Patole, that his party would emerge as the single-largest and therefore be in pole position to pick the Chief Minister have been contested by Mr Raut, who said the final decision will be taken after victory is confirmed and by all stakeholders.

READ | Who Will Be Chief Minister? NDA, MVA Ministers Stake Claim

In the Mahayuti, the Shinde Sena and the BJP appear to be at odds on the same issue, with the former batting for Mr Shinde to continue and the latter pitching Mr Fadnavis, who was the Chief Minister when the BJP and (then) undivided Sena were in power between 2014 and 2019.

And the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar has thrown its hat in the ring too, on the back of hopes it will emerge as the ‘kingmaker’, although the question of which side it will help crown was waved away.

What Happened In 2019?

The 2019 election resulted in a thumping win for the BJP and the undivided Sena; the saffron party won 105 seats (down 17 from 2014) and its ally 56 (down seven).

However, two long-time allies fell out, quite spectacularly, in the following days after they failed to agree a power-sharing deal. Mr Thackeray then led his Sena into a surprise alliance with the Congress and Sharad Pawar’s NCP (then also undivided) to shut out a furious BJP.

Much to the surprise of many, the ruling tripartite alliance lasted for nearly three years despite the divergent political beliefs and ideologies of the Sena and the Congress-NCP.

Eventually, it was an internal rebellion led by Sena leader Eknath Shinde that ousted the MVA government. Mr Shinde led Sena lawmakers into a deal with the BJP, forcing Mr Thackeray to resign and allowing himself to be named as the new Chief Minister.

The NCP split a year later in a near-identical process that saw Ajit Pawar and lawmakers loyal to him joining the BJP-Shinde Sena, and he then became a Deputy Chief Minister.

Since then, Maharashtra politics has been roiled in controversy that extended to the Supreme Court, which heard petitions and cross-petitions on disqualification of MLAs and, in the build-up to this election, pleas on which Sena and NCP faction is the ‘real’ one.

With input from agencies

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New Delhi:

Voting for the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly election may be over – the single-phase poll was held Wednesday – but verbal jousting betwixt the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi rumbles on, with each hotly disputing last night’s exit polls and proclaiming grand wins for their parties.

Five of nine exit polls studied by NDTV indicate the Mahayuti will ease to victory. Three believe neither side will gain a clear advantage. And only one exit pollster gives the MVA an outright win.

But a health warning: exit polls often get it wrong, as they did in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir; in the former the Congress was declared the winner, while the Congress-National Conference alliance was favoured in the latter. As it turned out, the BJP won Haryana and the NC (on its own) swept J&K.

READ | Mahayuti Has Edge In Maharashtra But 3 Of 9 Exit Polls Predict Hung House

However, ahead of the counting of votes on Saturday, the BJP, the Congress, and the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party factions have come out swinging to claim victory for themselves.

Mahayuti vs MVA Over Exit Polls

For the BJP, outgoing Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis pointed triumphantly at the increased voting percentage across Maharashtra and said, “…whenever the percentage increases, it benefits the BJP and the alliance. I am confident we will benefit this time too.”

Maharashtra recorded an estimated 65 per cent turnout; the 2019 figure was 61.74 per cent. The rule of thumb is that large (or larger) voter turnouts spell trouble for the incumbent party.

Mr Fadnavis, though, argued the opposite, insisting, “Increase in voting percentage means it is in favour of the current government… it means people are supporting the current government.”

On the other side of the fence is Sena MP Sanjay Raut, ex-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s troubleshooter, who declared exit polls a “fraud” and insisted the MVA will win this election.

Mr Raut pointed to wrong predictions for the Haryana and J&K elections, and the April-June federal election, in which the BJP was widely expected to cross the 400-seat mark but was pegged by back by the Congress-led INDIA opposition bloc, which includes the Thackeray Sena.

“Look… people do not always speak their mind (about whom they voted for). So, someone says ‘we will take a sample of 4,000 people and say this person is winning, that person is winning’… but the result is different. They said Congress would win Haryana but what happened? They said Modiji would get 400 seats in the Lok Sabha… but what happened there? You will see… we will win 160-165 seats,” he said.

It isn’t just Mr Fadnavis and Mr Raut who have been talking up their alliance’s chances.

Shinde Sena leader Shaina NC mocked her rivals, saying, “… your boat has sunk.”

The Congress’ Maharashtra unit boss, Nana Patole, is equally insistent the MVA will triumph, declaring voters are “angry with the BJP alliance” and praising the voting percentage increase.

READ | “Defeat Predicted, Will Win”: Nana Patole On Maharashtra Exit Polls

The BJP’s Milind Deora was equally convinced about a victory of the Mahayuti. “I am not into numbers… but we will definitely win”. The reason for his confidence, he told NDTV, was the alliance worked its way back from the Lok Sabha setback and “left no stones unturned” to ensure victory.

The Maharashtra Election Numbers Game

The Maharashtra Assembly has 288 seats. The majority mark is 145.

An average of exit polls gives the BJP’s coalition – which includes the Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the NCP group led by Ajit Pawar – 150 seats. The Congress and its allies – the Sena and NCP factions of Mr Thackeray and Sharad Pawar – have been given 125.

READ | Advantage BJP+ In Maharashtra, Close Fight In Jharkhand: Exit Polls

The only outlier is Electoral Edge, which says the MVA will get 150 seats and the Mahayuti 118.

What Happened In 2019?

The 2019 Maharashtra election resulted in a thumping win for the BJP and (then undivided) Sena; the saffron party won 105 seats (down 17 from 2014) and its ally 56 (down seven).

However, two long-time allies fell out, quite spectacularly, in the following days after they failed to agree a power-sharing deal. Mr Thackeray then led his Sena into a surprise alliance with the Congress and Sharad Pawar’s NCP (then also undivided) to shut out a furious BJP.

Much to the surprise of many, the ruling tripartite alliance lasted for nearly three years despite the divergent political beliefs and ideologies of the Sena and the Congress-NCP.

Eventually, it was an internal rebellion led by Mr Shinde that ousted the MVA government. He led Sena lawmakers into a deal with the BJP, forcing Mr Thackeray to resign and was named Chief Minister.

Since then, Maharashtra politics has been roiled in controversy that extended to the Supreme Court, which heard petitions and cross-petitions on disqualification of MLAs and, in the build-up to this election, pleas on which Sena and NCP faction is the ‘real’ one.

The NCP split a year later in a near-identical process that saw Ajit Pawar and lawmakers loyal to him joining the BJP-Shinde Sena, and he then became a Deputy Chief Minister.

With input from agencies

NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.

Mumbai:

An estimated 65 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the Maharashtra assembly elections on Wednesday, where the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is making a determined bid to retain power and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition is hoping to continue its good showing in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The figures are provisional, election officials said, adding that 61.74 per cent of polling was recorded in the 2019 assembly elections in the state.

The Naxal-affected Gadchiroli district recorded a turnout of 69.63 per cent on Wednesday, while Mumbai, the financial capital, saw an estimated 54 per cent turnout. In the 2019 polls, Mumbai’s polling figure stood at 50.67 per cent.

Officials noted that poll percentage figures are provisional and may undergo minor revisions once all data is verified. The final voter turnout percentage is expected to be officially announced on Thursday.

Notably, an encouraging trend has been observed in urban constituencies, traditionally known for lower voter participation.

Mumbai’s Colaba constituency, which recorded just 40 per cent turnout in 2019, showed an improved figure of 44.49 per cent this year, as per the figures shared by the state Chief Electoral Officer’s office.

In rural areas, where voter engagement tends to be higher, several constituencies reported exceptional turnout rates.

Karvir constituency in Kolhapur district recorded 84.79 per cent turnout, which is expected to be the highest in the state. Similarly, other constituencies in Gadchiroli district also registered high participation.

Several Bollywood celebrities, including actors Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Ranbir Kapoor, cast their votes adding a touch of glamour to the festival of democracy.

The voting for the 288 assembly seats began at 7 am and people sealed the fate of over 4,100 contesting candidates across 1,00,186 booths, an increase from 96,654 in the 2019 elections.

In the Mahayuti alliance, the BJP contested 149 seats, Shiv Sena 81 seats, and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP fielded candidates in 59 constituencies.

In the opposition’s MVA combine, the Congress fielded 101 candidates, Shiv Sena (UBT) 95, and NCP (SP) put up 86 candidates.

Parties like Bahujan Samaj Party and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM), also contested, with BSP fielding 237 candidates and AIMIM putting up 17 candidates.

The MVA combine had performed well in this year’s Lok Sabha polls by securing 30 out of 48 seats in the state.

An analysis of the Lok Sabha results at the assembly segment level indicates that the MVA coalition would have narrowly surpassed the crucial 145-seat majority threshold, as it led in 153 assembly segments. The Mahayuti coalition led in 125 assembly segments.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to social media, urging voters to partake in the elections with zeal, emphasising the importance of enhancing the “festival of democracy.” He particularly appealed to women and young voters to make their voices heard.

Among the early voters was Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, who cast his ballot in Nagpur.

Post-voting, he highlighted the civic duty of voting, stating, “Voting is a responsibility that every citizen should perform.” He noted his commitment to voting early, prioritising it before attending to other matters.

Bollywood stars, including Akshay Kumar, Rajkummar Rao, and filmmaker Farhan Akhtar, also stepped out early to exercise their franchise, encouraging their fans to do the same.

The high-stakes campaign culminated on Monday, featuring prominent leaders such as PM Modi, Amit Shah, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, all rallying for increased voter participation.

A day before the polling, police registered two cases against BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde, party candidate Rajan Naik and 250 others after allegations of a cash-for-vote scam.

Allegations also surfaced involving Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole and NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule regarding Bitcoin transactions.

Maharashtra has been in a state of political flux since the last assembly elections in 2019, marked by significant splits in key parties, including the Shiv Sena in 2022 and the NCP in 2023.

These developments led to the fall of the MVA government and the rise of the Mahayuti government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

The number of candidates this time increased by 28 per cent compared to the 2019 state assembly elections. This year, 4,136 candidates contested, up from 3,239 in 2019 elections.

Among these candidates, 2,086 were independents. Rebels were in the fray in over 150 constituencies, with candidates from the Mahayuti and MVA contesting against their party’s official nominees.

There were 1,00,186 polling booths in Maharashtra this time, compared to 96,654 booths in the 2019 assembly elections.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Maharashtra’s Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi will form the state’s next government and its Chief Minister will take oath on November 25, Congress’s state unit chief Nana Patole told NDTV today. Asked about the exit polls, which have predicted either an NDA victory or a hung house, he told NDTV in an exclusive interview, “Last time they predicted a Congress victory in Haryana and we lost. This time they are predicting our defeat. We will surely win”. 

The BJP’s Milind Deora was equally convinced about a victory of the ruling Mahayuti alliance. “I am not into numbers… but we will definitely win”. The reason of his confidence, he told NDTV, was that the alliance – working its way from the Lok Sabha election setback, “left no stones unturned… and checked all boxes”.

Mr Patole, though, brushed off the possibility. Asked whether the BJP hopes were justified and the Lok Sabha poll results were an aberration, he said, “When Prime Minister Narendra Modi could not prevail during the Lok Sabha elections, when will the likes of (Chief Minister) Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis do?”

Mr Patole also did not go into overall numbers, but predicted that the Congress would win 35 seats in Vidarbha alone and the alliance will make a clean sweep of the zone, winning at least 48 to 50 of the 62 seats.

The majority mark in the 288-member assembly stands at 145.

The Congress has contested 103 seats, the Shiv Sena of Uddhav Thackeray 89 seats and Sharad Pawar’s faction of the Nationalist Congress Party 87 seats. 

Six seats were given to other MVA allies, while there was no clarity on three assembly segments.

An aggregate of nine exit polls earlier this evening said the Mahayuti — ruling alliance of Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party and the BJP — could win 150 seats and the Maha Vikas Aghadi, the coalition of Uddhav Thackeray’s faction of Shiv Sena, NCP Sharadchandra Pawar and the Congress, may get 125. 

The exit polls that predicted an NDA victory include People’s Pulse, Matrize, Chanakya Strategies, and Times Now JVC. The naysayers are Dainik Bhaskar, Lokshahi Marathi Rudra and Electoral Edge.

The counting of votes will take place on Saturday. 

Mumbai:

Maharashtra’s urban pockets including assembly constituencies in Mumbai reported low voter turnout, despite Mumbai being the biggest city in the state and the country’s financial and entertainment hub. The turnout this time is only 1 per cent higher than in 2019, which was 48.4 per cent. 

Few people were seen at many booths in several constituencies of Mumbai. Urban voter apathy has been a challenge for the Election Commission, which frequently ran campaigns to encourage people to come out in large numbers and vote. 

Mumbai city district and Mumbai suburban district recorded 40.89 per cent and 39.34 per cent turnout, respectively. These are lower than the turnout above 60 per cent in the last assembly election.

Maharashtra reported 45.5 per cent voter turnout till 3 pm. The state saw a much higher 61.4 per cent turnout in the last assembly election in 2019.

Nanded, where voting in the Lok Sabha bypoll is going on, reported 41.6 per cent turnout till 3 pm, much lower than the 60.9 per cent historical turnout in by-elections on this seat.

The ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is looking to retain power, while the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) combine wants to dethrone the ruling alliance at any cost.

Voting will end at 6 pm. Counting is on Saturday.

Gadchiroli tops the list of districts with 62.99 per cent turnout. Aheri assembly seat in the district saw 66.27per cent voting, while Gadchiroli constituency recorded 62.43 per cent voting. Armori saw 60.50 per cent polling.

Colaba assembly segment in Mumbai saw 33.44 per cent polling, Mahim 45.56 per cent, and Worli 39.11 per cent. Shivadi recorded 41.76 per cent and Malabar Hill 42.55 per cent.

In Mumbai suburban, Bhandup polled 48.82 per cent votes, Dahisar 41.91 per cent and Bandra East 39.49 per cent.

In Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency in Thane, the voter turnout was 44.60 per cent, while the overall percentage of Thane district was 38.94 per cent.

Over 9.7 crore people were eligible to vote in Maharashtra today.

In the Mahayuti alliance, the BJP is contesting 148 seats, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena 80 seats, and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) 53 seats. Five seats have gone to other Mahayuti allies, while no decision was taken on two seats.

In the MVA, the Congress is fighting on 103 seats, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena on 89 seats, and Sharad Pawar’s NCP on 87 seats. Six seats were given to other MVA allies, while there was no clarity on three assembly segments.

The Maharashtra assembly has 288 seats.

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) and BSE will remain closed today, due to the Maharashtra Assembly elections. Trading across all segments, including equity, equity derivatives and the securities lending and borrowing (SLB) segment, will be suspended for the day as voters head to the polls.

The stock market closure today comes on the heels of a long weekend. The markets remained shut on Friday, November 15, for Guru Nanak Jayanti, followed by the regular weekend closures on November 16 and 17. As a result, November 20 marks an extra break for investors.

Remaining market holidays in 2024

In 2024, the stock market will remain closed on Christmas Day, December 25. November saw a total of three additional holidays beyond the regular weekends. The markets remained closed for 12 days this month.

Stock market performance on November 19

On November 19, equity markets showed mixed performance. The NSE Nifty 50 index snapped a seven-day losing streak, closing 64.70 points, or 0.28 per cent, higher at 23,518.50. The BSE Sensex also saw a rebound, reversing a four-day loss with a 239.38-point, or 0.31%, gain, ending the day at 77,578.38. However market sentiment remained cautious due to rising concerns over the geopolitical tensions between Ukraine and Russia. Reports of Ukraine’s missile strikes deep inside Russia, potentially escalating to a nuclear response, weighed on investor sentiment.

What about banks in Maharashtra?

On November 20, banks in Maharashtra will also remain closed, due to the Maharashtra assembly elections. Digital banking services like ATMs, UPI systems and online banking will continue to function.

Maharashtra assembly elections

The Maharashtra assembly elections are taking place in a single phase on November 20, across all 288 assembly seats. Polling began at 7 am and will continue until 6 pm.

In the battle of two alliances, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) under Sharad Pawar, and Congress is up against the Mahayuti Alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) and NCP under Ajit Pawar. The results will be declared on November 23.

On November 20, Mumbai and other cities in Maharashtra are also observing a dry day, meaning the sale of alcohol is prohibited during voting hours.

Mumbai:

The Maharashtra Congress and ally Sharad Pawar’s faction of Nationalist Congress Party have been hit by corruption allegations on the eve of the crucial state elections. A retired police officer, Ravindranath Patil,  has accused Mr Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule  and state Congress chief Nana Patole of being involved in  a fraud case involving cryptocurrency that dates back to 2018. The funds, he alleged, have been used for campaigning in the assembly election. Supriya Sule has denied any wrongdoing and called it the “familiar tactics of spreading false information to manipulate the righteous voters” the night before election.

The BJP was quick to take note of the allegations and presented the media with audio clips it claimed were evidence of involvement of Nana Patole and Supriya Sule in what it dubbed the “bitcoin scam”.  

BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi claimed the development has “unmasked” the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi and demanded replies from the Congress and Ms Sule, who is a member of the Lok Sabha from Baramati.

“I am amused that elections have come down to such a level,” Supriya Sule told NDTV. 

“Sudhanshu Trivedi made five allegations and asked me five questions and they (the allegations) are all false. I am happy to sit with him in any public forum — place time and forum of his choice. It is all false and I have lodged a cybercrime complaint. I have nothing to do with any transfer of bitcoin… this shows the BJP’s desperation,” she added.

She underscored her response with a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter: 

Familiar tactics of spreading false information to manipulate the righteous voters are being resorted to, a night before the polling day. We have filed a criminal complaint to the Hon’ble ECI & the Cyber crime department against the fake allegations made of bitcoin… pic.twitter.com/g8Selv1DFk

— Supriya Sule (@supriya_sule) November 19, 2024

It’s appalling that such baseless allegations are made by Mr Sudhanshu Trivedi, yet not surprising as it’s a clear case of spreading false information, the night before elections. My lawyer will be issuing a criminal & civil defamation notice against Sudhanshu Trivedi for making…

— Supriya Sule (@supriya_sule) November 19, 2024

Mr Patil, who had taken voluntary retirement from the Indian Police Service, was roped in by the Pune police along with cyber expert Pankaj Ghode to investigate a couple of cryptocurrency cases registered in 2018. 

The police had alleged that Mr Patil, in course of the investigation, transferred some cryptocurrencies into  his account. Ghode had provided screenshots of the accounts to police by changing the numbers — that showed lesser amount in crypto wallets.

Mr Patil had told reporters that he was framed which he and his colleagues have investigated, reported news agency IANS. 

He claimed a key witness in the case, Gaurav Mehta-an employee of an audit firm-had told him about the 2018 cryptocurrency fraud investigation. 

Mehta has alleged that during the arrest of Amit Bhardwaj, a cryptocurrency trader, a hardware wallet containing Bitcoin was seized. But the wallet was replaced by another one — allegedly under the direction of Amitabh Gupta, the then-Pune Police Commissioner. 

Mehta has claimed that the real culprits were Gupta and his team and Patil and his colleagues were arrested unjustly, It was also he who had given him the information about Nana Patole and Supriya Sule, he said. 

Patil told IANS that Mehta sent several voice recordings on ‘Signal’ — social media app — including messages from Supriya Sule requesting cash in exchange for Bitcoin. In the recordings, Sule allegedly assured Mehta that there was no need to worry about the investigation, as they would handle it once they came to power.

Another recording reportedly featured Nana Patole, inquiring about the delay in the cash transaction. Though the audio messages are available with IANS, the agency does not vouch for the veracity of the clips.