8.9 crore voters to seal fate of 3,000 plus candidates

Mumbai: As Maharashtra goes to vote on October 21, all eyes will be set on 1.70 crore young voters, who will have a major say in the formation of the new state government.

Polling will be held on Monday for all the 288 seats in the Maharashtra legislative Assembly. In addition to this, the bypoll for the Satara Lok Sabha constituency will also be held.

Polling will be held from 7 am to 6 pm. The counting of votes will be on October 24.

A total of 8,98,39,600 people, including 4,68,75,750 men and 4,28,43,635 women, are eligible to vote. There are also 3,96,000 physically challenged and 2,634 transgender voters, who will exercise their right of vote. The Election Commission has set up 96,661 polling booths, which will be manned by 6.5 lakh staff.

The Assembly poll will be a straight contest between the BJP-Shiv Sena-led ‘Mahayuti’ and the Congress-NCP combine. The BJP is contesting 164 seats, which include candidates of smaller allies contesting on its symbol, while Sena has fielded candidates on 124 seats. On the other hand, the Congress has fielded 147 candidates and its ally NCP 121.

Among other parties, the Raj Thackeray-led Navnirman Sena (MNS) has fielded 101 candidates, the CPI 16 and the CPI (M) 8. The BSP has fielded candidates on 262 seats. A total of 1400 Independents are also in the fray.

For chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is seeking a second straight term, the elections will be a referendum on his government’s development agenda in the last five years.

However, the election campaigning revolved chiefly around national issues like scrapping of Article 370 and national security.

In the bypoll for Satara Lok Sabha seat, former NCP leader and sitting MP Udayanraje Bhosale, who is now contesting on a BJP ticket, will take on Shriniwas Patil of the Congress-NCP combine.