Maharashtra & Jharkhand Polls 2024: Key Battles and Leadership Uncertainty

Highlights

The 2024 Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly elections are underway, with intense battles between ruling alliances and opposition parties. Leadership uncertainty and local issues will play a crucial role in the outcomes

Polling for the next government of Maharashtra, the year’s most closely watched election, began this morning.

In Jharkhand, voters are casting ballots for the remaining 38 seats, with the vote counting set for Saturday.

In Maharashtra, the key contestants are the ruling Mahayuthi alliance, which includes Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, BJP, and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), consisting of Sharad Pawar's NCP faction, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena faction, and Congress.

This election presents a critical opportunity for the Mahayuthi to gain the upper hand after a poor showing in the recent Lok Sabha elections.

The ruling alliance is leaning heavily on the success of welfare schemes like the “Ladli Behen Scheme”, which they claim benefits all sections of society.

The Opposition hopes to replicate the Lok Sabha election results, with a focus on issues such as quota, caste census, agrarian concerns, and welfare schemes.

Despite the turbulence of the last two years, including Shiv Sena and NCP splits, the Opposition is hoping for a strong show of public support.

There is uncertainty over the top post on both sides. Eknath Shinde, leader of Shiv Sena, is pushing for a second term as Chief Minister, citing his popularity in surveys. However, Devendra Fadnavis (BJP), who missed the CM post in the previous term, is waiting in the wings. He is now supported by Amit Shah and may be a contender for the role.

In the Opposition camp, Uddhav Thackeray is also vying for the CM post, but the Congress—after its strong showing in the Lok Sabha elections—is unlikely to step aside, insisting that the party with the most seats should have the top job.

In Jharkhand, the second phase of voting is taking place today for the remaining 38 seats.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, is hoping for a mandate to continue ruling the state.

BJP is the main opposition party, aiming to challenge the JMM’s stronghold.

In 2019, the contest was closely fought, with the JMM securing 30 seats and the BJP 25 seats (down from 37 in 2014). The JMM-Congress-RJD alliance won a majority with 47 seats in total.

The electoral fate of Hemant Soren, his wife Kalpana Soren, and Leader of Opposition Amar Kumar Bauri will be decided in this phase. The vote counting in both states will occur on Saturday, determining the next course of governance in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.