Maharashtra will go to the polls in a single phase on November 20, with vote counting set for November 23, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, Kumar outlined the election timeline. The last date for filing nominations is October 29, with scrutiny scheduled for October 30. The deadline for the withdrawal of candidatures is November 4.

The key contenders in the Maharashtra elections are the ruling Mahayuti Alliance, which includes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP – Ajit Pawar faction). They will face off against the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), and Congress.

In the recent parliamentary elections, the MVA made significant gains, winning 30 of Maharashtra’s 48 seats, while the BJP’s tally fell sharply to nine, down from 23 seats five years earlier.

In the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, the BJP secured 105 seats, while Congress won 44.

(ANI)