Cong sends Gehlot, Baghel to Maharashtra ahead of results

A day before the assembly poll results, the Congress on Friday appointed observers for Maharashtra and Jharkhand to oversee the post-election scenarios.

IMAGE: Congress leaders Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel. Photograph: Ayush Sharma/ANI Photo

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge deputed Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel and G Parameshwara as All India Congress Committee observers to Maharashtra with immediate effect, a party statement said.

For Jharkhand, Tariq Anwar, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Krishna Allavuru have been named observers.

Most exit polls have predicted victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliances in Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly polls while some gave an edge to the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition in the western state.

In the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, 145 is the majority mark, while it is 41 in the 81-member Jharkhand assembly.

The BJP-Shiv-Sena-Nationalist Congress Party alliance is in power in Maharashtra while the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-Congress is ruling in Jharkhand.

The counting of votes would take place on November 23 for the single-phase Maharashtra election held on Wednesday and the two-phase voting in Jharkhand on November 13 and 20.