Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024: 65% voter turnout as urban centres lag behind, rural areas lead the count
Maharashtra's single-phase Assembly election, held on November 20, 2024, reported a total voter turnout of 65.02%, which is higher than 61.6% in 2019. According to Chief Electoral Officer of the state, S. Chockalingam, polling passed off peacefully except for minor skirmishes in Beed. Across 288 constituencies in Maharashtra, voters will be choosing among 4,136 candidates. The results will be declared on November 23.
In urban areas such as Mumbai and Pune, voter turnout was hardly impressive, with Mumbai City reporting just 52.07%, Mumbai Suburban at 55.77%, and Pune at 60.70%. This urban apathy stands in sharp contrast to rural districts where participation was much higher. While Kolhapur reported a 76.25% turnout, an impressive figure of 73.68% has also been reported from Gadchiroli, an area affected by Left Wing Extremism. But rural strongholds proved that local factors, including strong voter mobilization, could offset urban disinterest.
The Election Commission put much effort toward improving the voters' experience, including facilities at polling stations and better security. In Mumbai, voters reported a smoother process than in the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, with no major complaints in long queues or unfriendly services.
But election day was not without disturbances. There were reports of clashes between two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party in Beed, a couple of polling stations getting agitated. The situation became so acute that some EVMs needed to be replaced to let polling go undisturbed. Even in Parli, NCP minister Dhananjay Munde experienced an assault incident, which hit social media on its face.
Gadchiroli, which was frequently a hotbed for violence associated with Naxalism in the past, did not see any violence this year as security measures were on high alert. Over 9.7 crore voters-Disabled and service voters among them-elected representatives in more than 100,000 polling stations.
This election is the first since Shiv Sena and NCP split, thereby making the politicking much more complicated. The Mahayuti alliance, under the leadership of the BJP currently in power, is up against a tough contest by Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance as people are uncertain about which faction to back. Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat, and cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, all prominent figures, could also be seen exercising their right to vote, with appeals to the public to do the same.
As counting will begin on November 23, the result of elections will decide Maharashtra's political fate in an ever-changing electoral scenario.
