These are the final round of state polls for the year, with the BJP eager to finish 2024 on a high after historic wins in the April-June general election and the Haryana Assembly poll.
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The Election Commission of India announced on Tuesday that Maharashtra will hold its assembly elections on November 20, 2024. Meanwhile, the Jharkhand assembly elections will take place in two phases, on November 13 and 20. The results for both states will be declared on November 23.
This marks the concluding round of state elections for the year, with the BJP keen to conclude 2024 on a positive note following significant victories in the general elections held from April to June, as well as in the Haryana Assembly elections. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced that 186,000 polling stations will be established in Maharashtra, while over 29,000 will be set up in Jharkhand. Approximately 96 million individuals are eligible to vote in Maharashtra, whereas around 26 million will participate in Jharkhand.
“On behalf of the Election Commission of India, we extend our gratitude to all voters in Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana for their robust participation in the elections. The citizens of Jammu and Kashmir have transformed this electoral process into a historic celebration of democracy. As the largest democracy in the world, India is setting exemplary standards in every election,” stated Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar.
Rajiv Kumar emphasized that the residents of Jammu and Kashmir contributed to making this election a historic event.
During a press conference, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, alongside Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, announced the schedule for the Assembly elections in Jharkhand and Maharashtra.
2019 Maharashtra, Jharkhand Election Recap
In the 2019 Jharkhand elections, Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, which is affiliated with the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, secured victory in 47 out of the 82 available seats in the state.
In Maharashtra, the Bharatiya Janata Party, in conjunction with the (then undivided) Shiv Sena, achieved a significant victory, capturing 161 of the 288 seats. However, this alliance eventually fractured over power-sharing disagreements, leading the Shiv Sena to ally with the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress to establish a new government.
This coalition government, however, was short-lived, lasting only until 2023. Internal dissent from Eknath Shinde of the Shiv Sena—who is now the Chief Minister—and Ajit Pawar of the NCP—who currently serves as Mr. Shinde’s deputy—compelled the then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to resign, resulting in the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition government.
2024 Maharashtra Assembly Election
Looking forward, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), currently in power in Maharashtra alongside factions of the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) that separated from Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar, aims to conclude 2024 on a positive note following a landmark general election from April to June, which resulted in Narendra Modi securing a third term as Prime Minister.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is expected to leverage his flagship initiative, the Ladki Bahin Yojana, which provides a monthly stipend of ₹1,500 to underprivileged women, to attract voters after his coalition’s disappointing performance in the Lok Sabha elections.
The ruling coalition, referred to as Mahayuti, managed to secure only 17 out of 48 parliamentary seats.
The ₹46,000-crore annual welfare program has been recognized as a transformative measure, akin to the Ladli Behna Yojana implemented by former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Chouhan, which aided the BJP in maintaining its hold on that state last year despite facing anti-incumbency sentiments and widespread predictions of a Congress victory.
For the Congress party, the upcoming elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand are crucial following their unexpected defeat in Haryana, where they were anticipated to win, as well as a decline in support in Jammu and Kashmir, where the National Conference (NC) has garnered backing from four independent candidates, reducing its reliance on Congress.
The NC also received support from the sole Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Member of Parliament in the region. Last week, as votes were being counted in Haryana, the Congress initially led but subsequently fell behind, ultimately losing to the BJP. The party later expressed its inability to accept the outcome, citing issues with malfunctioning electronic voting machines (EVMs) and an “unexpected slowdown” from the Election Commission.
Following the defeat in Haryana, the Congress faced criticism from its ally in Maharashtra, Thackeray’s faction of the Shiv Sena. An editorial in the party’s official publication criticized the Congress for its failure to accommodate coalition partners and manage the “disobedience of local leaders.” This criticism specifically pointed to Haryana Congress leader Bhupinder Hooda, whose reluctance to collaborate with the state unit of the AAP and share campaign efforts with fellow chief ministerial candidate Kumari Selja were highlighted as potential factors contributing to the electoral loss.
2024 Jharkhand Assembly Election
In Jharkhand, the electoral discourse is expected to heavily center on the allegations of money laundering involving Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who was apprehended by the Enforcement Directorate on January 31.
He was granted bail in June after the Supreme Court determined that there was insufficient evidence to establish his guilt at that stage.
Mr. Soren has consistently refuted the accusations leveled against him and has claimed that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party orchestrated his arrest just weeks prior to the Lok Sabha elections in an effort to undermine the opposition.
Prior to his arrest, the JMM leader resigned under dramatic circumstances, appointing his aide Champai Soren as his successor. Following his release on bail, Hemant Soren returned to his role, while Champai Soren subsequently left to join the BJP.
Final Elections Of 2024
This marks the concluding round of state elections for the year.
The results of the elections in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir were disclosed last week.
In Haryana, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) successfully countered the Congress party to maintain control over this pivotal state, while the National Conference-Congress coalition emerged victorious in Jammu and Kashmir’s first Assembly election in a decade, despite doubts raised by various parties, including its allies, regarding the Congress’s role in this success.
Additionally, the BJP secured victory in Odisha, establishing its inaugural government in the state.
The saffron party also witnessed the defeat of Jagan Reddy’s YSR Congress by N Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party, which had provided essential support following the Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh.
The election outcomes in Haryana and, to a lesser extent, Jammu and Kashmir have shifted attention towards the leadership of the Congress within the INDIA opposition coalition, which contested the Lok Sabha elections and succeeded in limiting the BJP to 240 seats—32 seats short of a majority—thereby necessitating reliance on its allies.
