Mumbai: The polling for the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections was held on Wednesday, November 20, and the votes will be counted on Saturday, November 23. To keep the law and order situation under control in the capital city of Mumbai, the police have banned any public assembly within a 300-meter radius from any counting centres on Saturday from 6 am to 12 midnight.
The directives have been issued by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) and Executive Magistrate, Akbar Pathan. Mumbai has total 36 assembly constituencies and all eyes are on who will lead in the capital city, with a cut-throat political battle expected. The 2024 Maharashtra assembly polls was the second direct contest between the Mahayuti and MVA after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
#WATCH | Pimpri Chinchwad, Pune | Informing about counting preparations for Pimpri Chinchwad Vidhaan Sabha elections taking place tomorrow, Anil Pawar, Returning Officer, 205 Chinchwad Assembly Constituency says, “We have set up 29 tables for counting, out of which 24 are for EVM… pic.twitter.com/sCuySeGuvF
— ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2024
The directives issued by the Mumbai Police says, "As large number of people are expected to visit the counting centers during the process of counting votes on November 23, it is necessary for the purpose of preventing the obstruction, annoyance and injury or risk of obstructing, annoyance and injury to persons lawfully employed and for the purpose of preventing the disturbance of the public tranquility, it is ordered that no other person than an official engaged in connection with the election or any public servant engaged in duty at or in the vicinity of counting centers are permitted to loiter or join any form of assembly or groups of people through highway, road, street or by-lane within the distance of 300-meters radius of the counting centres."
For the high-stake 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections, polling at all 288 seats was held on November 20. This is the first assembly election in Maharashtra after the historic division in Shiv Sena and NCP. All eyes are on which faction of these parties perform well in the election.
In Maharashtra there are around 50 seats, where a fierce battle between Shiv Sena- Eknath Shinde faction and Shiv Sena- Uddhav Thackeray faction was witnessed. While, the BJP-led Mahayuti is attempting to retain its power, the opposition MVA is attempting to regain after their government toppled in 2022.