Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India]: Shiv Sena candidate from Andheri East Murji Patel on Saturday expressed confidence that he would win Andheri East with a margin of more than 20,000 votes.
Patel said, “I had the darshan of Ganpati bappa just now. I prayed to Him for Mahayuti Government in Maharashtra once again. I prayed to him for his blessings…I will win Andheri East with a margin of more than 20,000 votes. In last 10 years, the people of Andheri have been hassled. No work was done.”
The Andheri East Assembly constituency went to polls on November 20. He faces tough contest from Rutuja Ramesh Latke from Shiv Sena (UBT). In the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, Ramesh Latke won in this seat.
Counting began at 8 am on Saturday for the 2024 Jharkhand and Maharashtra Assembly Elections, along with bypoll results from 15 states. The counting, which will decide the fate of the 288 seats in Maharashtra and 81 in Jharkhand, is expected to reveal trends in the first few hours.
In Maharashtra, the polling for the Legislative Assembly was held on Wednesday, with a turnout of over 66 percent, surpassing the 61 percent recorded in the 2019 elections. The Mahayuti alliance, which includes the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, is in a tough contest with the MVA alliance consisting of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP). Both alliances view the increased voter turnout as a sign of support for their respective campaigns.
State Chief Electoral Officer S Chockalingam praised efforts to increase voter participation, especially in Mumbai.
“The Election Commission of India gave significant focus, attention, and time to Maharashtra this time. Each strategy was conceptualised and implemented with high precision. This resulted in a significant addition to the voter list between the Parliament election and the current election. Efforts were made to ease voting, especially in places like Mumbai, where there were challenges during the Parliament elections.
This time, everyone appreciated the arrangements,” he said. He also thanked nearly 6 lakh officials who ensured smooth voting.
The bypolls were held in 48 assembly seats and two Lok Sabha seats across 15 states, with notable contests in Uttar Pradesh and Wayanad, Kerala, where Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra made her electoral debut.