About 8.94 crore voters in Maharashtra will cast their votes on October 21 for the election to the 288-seat legislative assembly. Election Commission of India announced the assembly poll schedule at the press conference in New Delhi. As per the poll schedule, the notification for the assembly poll will be issued on September 27, last date for filing nomination on October 4, scrutiny of nominations on October 5, last date of withdrawal October 7, polling on October 21 and the counting will be on October 24.
BJP and Shiv Sena, which are expected to soon announce alliance, are making all efforts to retain power while Congress and Nationalist Congress Party are struggling to put their respective organisations in order to fight against the saffron alliance. Congress and NCP, which witnessed defection to the saffron parties, face a major challenge of survival as BJP and Shiv Sena leaders have been repeatedly making claims that the alliance will win more than 220 assembly seats considering their lead in Lok Sabha election.
In his reaction, state higher education minister and BJP minister Vinod Tawde said that Maharashtra will be celebrating Diwali and the BJP led government will again come back to power. BJP led MahaYuti is expected to win 220 seats and it may cross further in view of response from the voters and also while looking at the opposition parties in total disarray.
Tawde said the alliance between BJP and Shiv Sena will be declared in two days.''BJP will reach out to the voters in next month with the five-year government report card and seek votes for stability in Maharashtra,'' Tawde said.
State BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said the party does not see a possibility of rebellion. However, he declined to divulge details on BJP's alliance with Shiv Sena.
All parties have launched preparations for the assembly election by launching outreach and yatras. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is BJP's CM face, has completed the 4,000 km Maha Janadesh Yatra on September 19 while Shiv Sena youth leader Aaditya Thackeray, who is being projected as party's CM candidate, has undertaken Jan Aashirwad Yatra while Nationalist Congress Party carried out Shiv Swarajya Yatra. In view of large scale defection from his party to BJP and Shiv Sena, NCP chief Sharad Pawar has launched statewide tour in a serious bid to keep party flock together and rebuild it facing the assembly election.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut also shared Tawde's statement saying that the alliance will be announced soon. ''The alliance will celebrate Diwali before the beginning of the festival,'' he noted.
As far as Congress is concerned, the party is still confused and yet to come out of debacle in the Lok Sabha.
Even though BJP and Shiv Sena have yet to announce the alliance, Congress and NCP have already arrived at a seat-sharing understanding to put a united fight against the saffron alliance. Congress and NCP will contest 128 seats each leaving 38 to other like-minded and secular parties.
As far as BJP is concerned, the party, which had won 122 seats in the 2014 assembly election, has been pressing for more seats considering its increased strength in the state. BJP along with its allies want around 160 seats while Shiv Sena has been pressing for 144 seats. However, Shiv Sena may settle at about 125 seats.
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