Baramati:

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar turned the heat on his estranged nephew and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar on Tuesday, virtually accusing him of breaking the family for his political ambitions.

Campaigning for his grandnephew and NCP (SP) nominee from the Baramati assembly segment, Yugendra Pawar, the Pawar senior mimicked Ajit, who a day earlier became emotional over Yugendra’s candidature at a rally.

Sharad Pawar’s action of pretending to wipe his eyes with a handkerchief in the middle of the speech evoked a peal of laughter from the audience.

The elections to 288 seats in Maharashtra are scheduled for November 20. Votes will be counted three days later.

Addressing a rally on Monday, Baramati MLA Ajit Pawar alleged that “seniors” should have ensured that a family rift is avoided, referencing to Yugendra’s candidature.

“My parents and brothers never taught me the sin to break the house (family),” Sharad Pawar said while addressing a rally at Kanheri town near Baramati.

“People tasked me with leading Maharashtra a long time ago. I am now a mentor and have entrusted the party affairs to the new generation,” he said.

Underscoring the uncertainties of politics, the former Union minister said one should not leave his colleagues for the sake of securing power for oneself.

“Unfortunately, when we (NCP) were not in power, some of our colleagues suddenly woke up at dawn and took oath. That government didn’t last for even for four days,” Pawar said.

Notably, Ajit Pawar took oath as Deputy Chief Minister when he was a member of the opposition NCP (undivided) with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis as CM at Raj Bhavan amid a political tug-of-war over the formation of a government, post the 2019 assembly elections.

“He (Ajit) went to the other side to secure the deputy chief minister’s post despite having served as Deputy CM four times. You got the position most of the time. If you fail to get the position only once, will you break the house (family)?” Sharad Pawar asked.

Now it is being said that I broke the family. It is a funny thing to hear, he added.

The veteran politician underlined that he never created a rift in the Pawar clan and everyone listened to him as the family head.

“I never did anything by going against anyone and will never do so. Going forward, regardless of anyone taking any stand, I will not go on the wrong track. I will ensure that my family will remain united,” Sharad Pawar added.

Targeting Ajit, the Pawar senior referred to the former’s speech at a rally.

“It was said that I created a rift in the family. The sin of breaking the family was never taught by my parents and brothers. All my brothers, including Anantrao Pawar (father of Ajit Pawar), lived with me,” he added.

Sharad Pawar recalled how he concentrated on politics in Maharashtra and at the national level, while domestic issues and farming were taken care of by his family members.

“I could concentrate on my job because of the blessings of my brothers. I won’t discriminate against their children,” he added.

He highlighted the “change of language” used by Ajit Pawar from the campaigning for the Baramati Lok Sabha seat to the latest emotive pitch.

Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar lost her maiden electoral contest from the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency to her sister-in-law and Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule.

“During Lok Sabha polls, people were told (by Ajit) not to fall prey to emotion. People were told that Pawar Saheb (Sharad Pawar) would shed tears and seek votes (for his daughter Supriya Sule),” Sharad Pawar said.

“You might have seen in yesterday’s speech…..”, he said even as he took out a handkerchief pretending to wipe tears, mimicking Ajit.

Pawar claimed he offered positions as ministers to several leaders but didn’t entrust Supriya Sule with a single position.

The Pawar senior also said he was dragged to the court as the name and symbol of the NCP founded by him were allotted to the other faction.

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

Mumbai:

The Congress on Saturday released its second list of 23 candidates for the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly elections, fielding a “strong” contender against state Bharatiya Janata Party President Chandrashekhar Bawankule.

Bawankule, who is recontesting Kamthi seat in Nagpur district – which he had bagged in 2004, 2009 and 2014 till he was dropped in 2019, will lock horns with Suresh Y. Bhoyar, a former President of the Nagpur Zila Panchayat.

Similarly, in Savner in Nagpur district, the Congress has fielded Anuja S. Kedar, the wife of former minister and five-term MLA Sunil C. Kedar, who was convicted in a graft case and disqualified. The daughter of the legendary cricket administrator and former Maharashtra Speaker SK Wankhede, whose name adorns the BCCI stadium in Mumbai, Kedar had filed her nomination papers as an Independent, but will now contest on a Congress ticket.

The Congress’ second list comes two days after the first list with 48 candidates was issued as the party was purportedly in a tug-of-war with Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ally Shiv Sena-UBT over certain seats in the Vidarbha region.

The others figuring in Saturday’s list also include Rajesh Manavatkar (Bhusawal), Swati Wakekar (Jamod), Mahesh Gange (Akot), Shekhar Shende (Wardha), Girish Pandav (Nagpur South), Pooja Thavker (Bhandara), Dalip Banson (Arjuni-Morgaon), Rajkumar Puram (Amgaon), Vasant Purke (Ralegaon), Anil Balasaheb Mangulkar (Yavatmal), Jitendra Moghe (Arni), Sahebrao Kamble (Umarkhed), Kailas Gorantyal (Jalna), and Madhukar Deshmukh (Aurangabad East).

Vijay Patil will contest from Vasai, Kalu Bhadeliya from Kandivali East, Yashwant Singh from Charkop, Ganesh Kumar Yadav from Sion-Koliwada, Hemant Ogle from Srirampur, Abhay K. Salunkhe from Nilanga, and Ganpatrao Patil for Shiro).

Maharashtra Congress Legislative Party Leader Vijay alias Balasaheb Thorat is likely to call on NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and SS-UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray this afternoon to finalise the remaining seat-sharing ratio, including the number of seats that will be allocated to smaller allies, as the last date for filing nominations (October 29) approaches.

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

New Delhi:

The leaders from Mahayuti – the ruling coalition in Maharashtra – met Union Home Minister Amit Shah last night to discuss the seat-sharing plan ahead of the state Assembly elections scheduled next month.

The late-night meeting between Mr Shah and the Mahayuti leaders came at a time when the talks were at a crucial juncture. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde from the Shiv Sena and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis from the BJP met Mr Shah in Delhi.

The Home Minister also had a one-on-one conversation with Mr Shinde on the sidelines of the NDA Chief Ministers’ meeting – chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi – in Chandigarh.

Sources told NDTV that BJP, which is the single-largest party in the Maharashtra Assembly with 105 seats, is expected to be the “big brother” in the seat-sharing plan, contesting on at least 155 seats of the total 288 seats and the remaining will be shared between Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

The Big Challenge

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are seeking to retain power in the November 20 state Assembly polls.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Mahayuti won just 17 of the state’s 48 constituencies while the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s tally was 30. The Assembly elections were, thus, seen as an uphill battle for the Mahayuti but appear to have been made easier by the results of the polls in Haryana, where the BJP formed a government – delivering its best-ever performance in the state – despite battling anti-incumbency after two straight terms in power.

The last election in 2019 was a fairly straightforward battle between the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena coalition on the one hand and the Congress-NCP alliance on the other. Several political developments have taken place since the last election.

In 2022, Eknath Shinde led a rebellion and split the Shiv Sena into two, with a majority of MLAs supporting his leadership over Uddhav Thackeray’s. He formed a government with the BJP and took oath as the Chief Minister. He is backed by 40 MLAs.

A year later, a similar political crisis took place in the state when Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar led a rebellion along with other leaders and broke away from NCP led by his uncle. The Ajit Pawar-led NCP allied with the ruling coalition, forming the Mahyuti.

What About MVA

Meanwhile, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) – the Opposition alliance in Maharashtra – has firmed up seat sharing on 263 of the state’s 288 Assembly constituencies, sources have told NDTV on Thursday.

A meeting of alliance partners Congress, the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP and the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena was held on Thursday and good progress was made in seat-sharing discussions, the sources said. The meeting was attended by Congress Maharashtra President Nana Patole, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) leaders Jitendra Awhad, Jayant Patil and Anil Deshmukh, among others.

The remaining 25 seats which remain disputed include five of the 36 Assembly constituencies in Mumbai, including Kurla, Dharavi, Versova and Byculla. The sources said the list of finalised and disputed segments will be sent to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and the heads of the other two coalition partners, Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar, who will take a final decision in “two to three days”.

Elections in Maharashtra will be held in a single phase on November 20 and votes will be counted three days later on November 23. 

The Election Commission of India announced the voting dates for Maharashtra this afternoon. Voting in Maharashtra will take place on November 20 and votes will be counted three days later on November 23. Meanwhile, Jharkhand will vote in two phases on November 13 and 20. Counting for both states will take place on November 23. The Chief Election Commissioner said with elections, were are setting gold standards, referring to the ‘free and fair elections’ in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir.

In 2019, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising a then unified Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), along with the Congress, had won 154 of 288 seats. This time, the Shiv Sena and NCP split into two factions. 

Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) is ready to lock horns with the BJP. In the 2019 elections, JMM won 30 seats and formed the government with the Congress, which has won 16 seats.

Here are the Live Updates on the big story:

Chief Election Commissioner Responds To Queries On EVMs
“Before 5-6 months of polls, checking begins. At every step of the EVM process, political parties or their agents are present. We put in a new battery and after sealing there are signatures of the agent. There’s 3-layer of security including CAPF and observers. The process is videographed. The EVM numbers are also shared. When polls are closed, even then we take signatures. How much more can we show? On counting day, it goes inside barricading. There’s a provision for objecting to any of this at any stage which did not happen,” Mr Rajiv Kumar said.

“It has a single-use battery which can be used for 5-7 days. It’s like a calculator battery. We have made a provision. It is initially marked as it’s 99 per cent and charged. It can differ based on the voltage difference. When it drops to 5.8%, it gives a signal,” he said.

“Matter Of Introspection For Media”: Chief Election Commissioner On Exit Polls

“Because of exit polls and expectations set by them a big distortion is being created. This is a matter of introspection. We need to consider the sample size, what was the result. If my result doesn’t match with the actual result, we need to think about it,” CEC Rajiv Kumar said.

“It creates an expectation which has no scientific basis. The leads shown at 8.05 and 8.10 are nonsense. The counting starts at 8.30. Is it to validate the exit polls? We reflect results at 9.30, 11.30 then 1.30. It takes some time to upload results because of all the processes. So, when the actual results come, there is a mismatch. The gap between expectation and reality is frustration,” he added.

Maharashtra, Jharkhand Assembly Elections: Full Schedule Of Polling In 2 States

Maharashtra to vote in single phase (288 seats)

Date of Poll: November 20 

Counting of Votes: November 23

Jharkhand – Polls in 2 phases (81 seats)

Date of poll: Nov 13, Nov 20

Counting of votes: November 23

Jharkhand Elections Date Live: Full Schedule

Election Dates Live: Schedule For Bye-Elections

Jharkhand Elections Date Live: Voting To Take Place In 2 Phases, Counting On November 23
Voting in Jharkhand will take place in two phases – November 13 and November 20. Counting will take place on November 23.

Maharashtra Assembly Elections: Full Schedule

Maharashtra Assembly Elections: Voting On November 20, Counting On November 23

Maharashtra

Start of Nomination: 22 October

Last date for Nomination: 29 October

Date of Poll: 20 November

Date of Counting: 23 November

Maharashtra Elections Date: Elections in Maharashtra To Be Held In Single Phase
Voting in Maharashtra will take place in a single phase, announces Election Commission of India.

Maharashtra, Jharkhand Election Dates Live: Over 12 Crore Electors Eligible To Vote
Over 12 crore electors are eligible to vote in Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said.

Jharkhand Elections Date Live: Total Electors In The State

Jharkhand Elections Date Live: General Overview Of Polling Stations In The State

Maharashtra Elections Date Live: General Overview Of Electorates In Maharashtra

Elections Date Live: We Reviewed Situation In Maharashtra and Jharkhand

“We recently visited Maharashtra and Jharkhand and reviewed the situation there after several meetings with officials,” Mr Kumar said.

Elections Live: “Setting Gold Standards In Every Election,” Says Poll Body Chief
“Before starting the briefing, I would like to congratulate all voters from Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir for participating in big numbers. India is setting records in every election. We are setting a new gold standard…We declare are will and intent first and fulfill,” Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said.

Maharashtra, Jharkhand Assembly Elections: Poll Body Briefing Begins
Election Commission presser begins. The poll body will be announcing the dates for Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections.

Maharashtra Assembly Elections: Congress Expels MLA After He Joins Ajit Pawar’s Faction

The Congress has expelled MLA Hiraman Khoskar from the party for six years for indulging in “anti-party activities” after he joined the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

He Khoskar, who represents the Igatpuri assembly constituency in Nashik district, joined the ruling NCP on Monday.

In a letter dated October 14, Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole said the legislator was involved in “anti-party activities during the Lok Sabha polls and even after that”.

Maharashtra, Jharkhand Assembly Elections: Congress Appoints Observers For Polls
The Congress on Tuesday appointed division-wise AICC senior observers for the Maharashtra Assembly polls with Ashok Gehlot and G Parameshwara to look after the Mumbai and Konkan region and Sachin Pilot and Uttam Kumar Reddy to oversee the Marathwada region.

As the Congress gets battle-ready for the next round of assembly polls, the opposition party also appointed three AICC senior observers for Jharkhand assembly elections — Tariq Anwar, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu.

Elections Date Live: Break-up Of Seats In 2019 Maharashtra Elections
Maharashtra has 288 seats, with a majority mark of 145. In 2019, the BJP emerged as the single-largest party with 105 seats but the undivided NCP, Shiv Sena and the Congress formed the government after winning 54, 56 and 44 seats respectively, forming the Maha Vikas Aghadi. Thirteen independent candidates won in the polls and one seat was won by a political party.

Elections Date Live: Break-up Of Seats In 2019 Jharkhand Elections

Jharkhand has 81 assembly seats with a majority mark of 41. The 2019 elections saw a close contest between the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the BJP, with the former winning 30 and the latter securing 25 seats. The Congress emerged as the third-largest party with 16 seats.

The JVM (Jharkhand Vikas Morcha) got 3 seats, the AJSU (All Jharkhand Students Union) won 2 seats. Two independent candidates won in the 2019 elections along with three other parties winning one-one seat each.

Assembly Elections Live: Maharashtra, Jharkhand Elections Will Be The Last Set Of Polls In 2024

This year’s election will probably be the last prestige battle of 2024 with the fractured Shiv Sena and NCP battling the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance.

Sources in the BJP told NDTV the party will contest on 158 of the state’s 288 seats. It has offered 70 seats to Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and 50 to Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party.

The Congress, battered by the Haryana defeat, will face an upbeat BJP. Among the key figures to be watched out in the poll season in Maharashtra will be Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil, who has held a series of hunger strikes to demand reservation for the community.