The Election Commission (EC) announced that the Jharkhand Assembly elections will take place in two phases on November 13 and November 20, with Maharashtra holding its election in a single phase on November 20. The vote counting for both states will be conducted on November 23.
In the previous Jharkhand Assembly elections, voting occurred over five phases.
In addition to the Assembly elections, bypolls will be held for 48 Assembly constituencies and two Parliamentary constituencies – Wayanad (Kerala) and Nanded (Maharashtra). The bypolls for 47 Assembly seats and Wayanad Lok Sabha seat will be conducted on November 13, while the bypolls for the Kedarnath Assembly seat in Uttarakhand and the Nanded Lok Sabha seat will be held on November 20.
Bypolls for the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal and the Milkipur Assembly constituency in Uttar Pradesh have been postponed, as the election petitions concerning these seats are still pending in court.
Voter Turnout Focus and Urban Apathetic Voters
Rajiv Kumar, Chief Election Commissioner, highlighted that this time, the EC will focus on improving voter turnout in urban areas, which has been a growing concern. For example, in the recent Haryana Assembly elections, some urban polling booths had turnouts as low as 20%.
In Maharashtra, the turnout in 62 out of 64 urban constituencies was below the state average of 60.56% in the 2019 elections. Colaba, Mumbai recorded the lowest turnout at 40.1%.
The total electorate for the elections includes 9.63 crore electors in Maharashtra and 2.6 crore electors in Jharkhand. The EC also confirmed near 100% enrolment of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in both states, with 2.77 lakh electors in Maharashtra and 1.78 lakh in Jharkhand.
Concerns Over Exit Polls and EVM Complaints
On the subject of exit polls, which recently showed inaccuracies in the Haryana Assembly elections, CEC Rajiv Kumar urged regulatory bodies to self-regulate, citing issues such as misleading expectations being set before counting begins.
He also addressed the Congress party’s complaints regarding EVM irregularities in Haryana. Congress had alleged discrepancies in battery charges of EVMs used in constituencies where BJP candidates won. The CEC clarified that new batteries are installed in EVMs before polling, and variations in the battery percentages are due to the voltage drop below a certain level, which affects the display.
Important Election Dates
- Jharkhand Assembly Election: November 13 & November 20
- Maharashtra Assembly Election: November 20
- Bypolls: November 13 and November 20
- Counting Date: November 23
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