Advantage Mahayuti Or ‘Strong Anti-Incumbency’? What Maharashtra’s 4% Voting Hike Means – News18

Last Updated:November 21, 2024, 11:32 IST

The Election Commission of India has put the voting turnout in Maharashtra at 65.11 per cent, over four percentage points higher than the last assembly elections when the voter turnout stood at 61.1 per cent

An over 4 per cent rise in voting in Maharashtra has made the BJP confident of a victory for the Mahayuti (MY) in the state, hoping that its core voters came out in larger numbers while the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) sees it is a strong anti-incumbency vote against the MY government in the state.

The Election Commission of India has put the voting turnout in Maharashtra at 65.11 per cent, over four percentage points higher than the last assembly elections when the voter turnout stood at 61.1 per cent. In the recent Lok Sabha elections as well, the voting percentage in the state stood at 61.29 per cent. Higher voting has been reported in Maharashtra this time, even in the seats in the Mumbai district where, except Colaba, nearly every assembly constituency has reported over 50 per cent polling.

Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis exhibited confidence in the polling numbers, saying a higher polling percentage always favours the BJP.

“In the Lok Sabha elections, many of our voters did not step out to vote due to complacency and the feeling that BJP was anyways winning in the country. But this time, both the BJP workers and the RSS have worked studiously on the ground to get our voter out to the polling booth. Also, women voting seems to have increased with women enthused and grateful for the popular ‘Laadki Behan’ Scheme of the government,” a top BJP leader told News18.

A Congress leader in Maharashtra, however, termed the high voting “strong anti-incumbency” against the MY government and said people tired of inflation had come out to vote in large numbers. “A higher voting percentage is always an anti-incumbency vote. We do not believe what the exit polls say,” the Congress leader said. State Congress chief Nana Patole also dismissed the exit polls citing how they were proved wrong in Haryana. “MVA will form the government with 160-170 seats in Maharashtra,” Patole told News18.

Anant Dubey of the Shiv Sena (UBT) said except a couple of cities, in most of the rural areas, people have gone out and cast their vote. “In cases where there is high voting, it is because people want change. Here, people wanted a change from the previous government,” Dubey said.

RSS had focused in a big way on the ground in Maharashtra this time to improve the voter turnout.

In Jharkhand too, the polling percentage has increased from 65.18 per cent in the last assembly elections to 68.45 per cent this time, as per the Election Commission. In the assembly elections, Jharkhand had reported a voting percentage of 66.19 per cent. Both sides, BJP and JMM-Congress, are claiming the higher voting percentage will be in its favour.