Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 | FAQs: How state voted in the first polls

The political landscape of Maharashtra has undergone a major shift now. Since the last elections in 2019, both NCP and Shiv Sena have split.

The Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 will take place in a single phase on November 20 and the results will be declared on November 23.

The tenure of the 288-member Legislative Assembly is slated to end on November 26. The state has seen 14 assembly elections so far, and with the polls coming up, here is a look at how Maharashtra voted in the first assembly elections.

The first Maharashtra assembly elections was held in 1960, after the formation of the state. In this elections, the Congress came to power, but this government only remained for two years and elections were held again in 1962 for what would go on to become the second assembly for Maharashtra.

This election also saw a landslide Congress win. However, over time, the grand old party's mark on the state has considerably decreased, especially with regional parties like NCP and Shiv Sena having been formed over time.

In the 1957 Bombay Legislative Assembly Elections, Congress had won 135 seats and in the 1962 polls, the party managed to win 215 seats.

Currently, however, the political landscape of Maharashtra has undergone a major shift. Since the last elections in 2019, both NCP and Shiv Sena have split and factions - NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) have been formed respectively, after Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde rebelled, eventually joining hands with the BJP to form government in Maharashtra.

Currently, there are two political blocks in the state - the Maha Vikas Aghadi and the Maha Yuti. The former has Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), and Congress, while the latter has BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP. Ahead of the polls, there are seat-sharing discussions under way, and with the MVA parties being part of the larger pan-national I.N.D.I.A. bloc, the members have to come to terms with their alliance partners' demands as well. Akhilesh Yadav, Samajwadi Party chief, is among those who have demanded seats in the upcoming polls.

While the MVA will look to capitalise on its good Lok Sabha poll performance in the state, the Maha Yuti is riding on the back of BJP's poll victory in Haryana and will look to replicate the outcome in the western state.

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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