The Election Commission of India (ECI) will announce the schedule for the Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly elections on Tuesday, October 15 at a press conference scheduled for 3:30 pm.
The Maharashtra Assembly, which has 288 seats, will see its term end on November 26, which means the poll process has to be completed before that date. The Jharkhand Assembly, consisting of 81 seats, will conclude its term on January 5.
The ECI is also expected to announce election dates for around 50 by-elections, including the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat that Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi vacated, with the Congress nominating Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as its candidate.
In Maharashtra, the ruling coalition, Mahayuti — the BJP, Shiv Sena, and Nationalist Congress Party—will face the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, which includes the Congress and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (NCP-SP) as well as the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT).
Whereas in Jharkhand, the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), part of the INDIA bloc, will compete against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which includes the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), Janata Dal (United), and the BJP.
To prepare for elections, the Maharashtra cabinet recently recommended raising the annual income limit for the OBC non-creamy layer from Rs 8 lakh to Rs 15 lakh.
Additionally, on Monday, the government announced a toll tax exemption for light motor vehicles entering Mumbai.
Further, the announcement of the Maharashtra assembly elections was anticipated alongside the declaration for the Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir elections in August but the Election Commission opted to separate the poll schedules.
Explaining the decision, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar had said the Jammu and Kashmir elections needed to be conducted before September 30, as directed by the Supreme Court. This created a higher demand for security forces limiting the capacity to hold more than two elections simultaneously.
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