Assembly polls: Maharashtra records 62.05 pc voter turnout; 68.01 pc polling in Jharkhand

New Delhi [India], November 20 (ANI): As the high-stakes Assembly elections came to an end, Maharashtra recorded a 62.05 per cent voter turnout, while Jharkhand saw 68.01 per cent, surpassing the 67.04 per cent turnout in the 2019 assembly elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) said on Wednesday.

The ECI said that simultaneous polling for all 288 seats in Maharashtra and 38 seats in Jharkhand (Phase 2) concluded peacefully.

Despite a range of measures by the Commission for ease of voting, and motivational campaigns, urban voters in the state continued their dismal record of low participation in cities like Mumbai, Pune and Thane.

Voting commenced at 7 am on Wednesday and was peaceful and orderly. Bye-polls in 15 ACs and 1 Parliamentary constituency in 15 states were also held today.

With this, elections have concluded for Jharkhand and Maharashtra legislative assemblies and bye-polls in 48 ACs and 2 parliamentary constituencies of 15 states across the two phases.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar along with ECs Gyanesh Kumar and Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu had been keeping a close watch on every aspect of the poll process including measures to enhance poll participation.

In Uttar Pradesh, taking cognisance of complaints regarding arbitrary checking and prevention of voters from voting in certain ACs, the Commission, after a thorough enquiry ordered the suspension of police personnel in Moradabad, Kanpur and Muzaffarnagar for violating the norms and guidelines regarding checking of voters, the Election Commission stated.

CEC Rajiv Kumar strictly directed all concerned DEOs/SPs and 13 central observers to ensure a free, fair and impartial election process without any bias against any community.

Meanwhile, special emphasis was placed on combating urban apathy owing to the trend of low voter turnout witnessed in urban centres in Maharashtra in past state and parliamentary elections.

"More than 1185 polling stations were set up in high rise buildings/societies and as per directions from CEC Rajiv Kumar all basic facilities were provided at polling stations including benches for voters in queue, volunteers and wheelchairs," it stated.

Various awareness and mass mobilisation campaigns were organized ahead of the polls involving film celebrities, and ECI state and national icons, to nudge urban and young voters.

Polling progressed in an orderly manner in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas of both states including Garhchiroli in Maharashtra and Giridih in Jharkhand.

Long queues of voters comprising people from different sections of society including first-time voters, elderly voters, tribal voters, PwD voters, women voters some bearing children in their arms, voters identifying as third gender, entire families of voters and celebrity voters characterised the atmosphere at polling stations.

Assured Minimum Facilities (AMF) including toilets, ramps, shed, and drinking water ensured that voters could vote comfortably without hindrance.

Moreover, in Mumbai, celebrities spurred on voters to show up at the polling booths and fulfil their responsibilities.

Cricketer and ECI National icon Sachin Tendulkar voted along with his family and reiterated his call to others to come out and vote. Elderly voters were greeted with a certificate and sapling in certain polling stations in Mumbai.

A total of 4136 candidates are contesting for the 288 assembly seats amidst an electorate of over 9.7 crores.

In Jharkhand, voters showed up in large numbers across the 38 ACs across 12 districts.

The Commission had made a concerted effort to expand the participation amongst tribal voters.

Accordingly, right from enrolment to polling booths, a conducive and welcoming atmosphere encouraged tribal voters to show up at the polling booths.

48 Unique Polling Stations had been set up for Phase II which were adorned by themes reflecting tribal culture and elements.

Ahead of the elections, 100 per cent enrolment of the 1.78 lakh members from 8 PVTGs in the state was ensured in the electoral roll.

Bye-Polls in 15 ACs and Nanded PC also concluded today. In Uttar Pradesh, polling was conducted in 9 ACs, 4 ACs in Punjab, Kedarnath AC in Uttarakhand and 1 AC, 56-Palakkad in Kerala also went to bye-polls today.

The poll body said that a constant and unceasing vigil was maintained over attempts at vitiating the level-playing field through money, narcotics and other inducements in these elections.

"Seizure figures crossed the Rs 1000 crore mark and stood at Rs 1139 crores in total since the announcement of the assembly elections and the bye-elections and the enforcement of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) on October 15. In Jharkhand and Maharashtra, the combined seizures (Rs. 914.18 Crore) is over 7.5 times the figures recorded in the previous elections in 2019," it added.

On the facilitative side, a slew of apps and digital platforms provided for the smooth application and processing of requests for campaign-related permissions.

Over 74,200 applications were approved for campaign-related permission on the Suvidha 2.0 app which included 55,700 from Maharashtra and 11,932 from Jharkhand.

The cVIGIL app, which enables users to report MCC violations saw 24,992 complaints in the ongoing elections, being resolved with a resolution rate of 99 per cent, of which 20,741 were resolved within 100 minutes.

As of 5 pm, a voter turnout of 58.22 per cent was recorded at the polling stations in Maharashtra and 67.59 per cent in Jharkhand.

The first phase of the Jharkhand polls was held in 43 of 81 assembly seats on November 13. The results for all 81 constituencies will be declared on November 23, alongside those for Maharashtra Assembly elections and bypolls across several states. (ANI)