Assembly elections updates: 58.43% voter turnout recorded till 5 pm in Maharashtra, 68% in Jharkhand

Maharashtra, Jharkhand Election Voting: Catch all the updates on the Assembly elections here

7:23 PM

Maharashtra assembly polls: 'Dismal record' of metropolitan voters continues, say EC

The Election Commission on Wednesday lamented that despite a range of measures taken by it for ease of voting besides motivational campaigns, urban voters in Maharashtra continued their "dismal record" of low participation in cities including Mumbai, Pune and Thane.

6:08 PM

Maharashtra Assembly elections LIVE: 58.22% voter turnout recorded till 5 pm

58.22 per cent voter turnout recorded till 5 pm in Maharashtra assembly elections, says official. 

5:57 PM

Assembly elections LIVE: 68% voter turnout recorded in Jharkhand

A voter turnout of 67.59 per cent was registered in 38 assembly seats till 5 PM in second and final phase of Jharkhand polls, a poll official said.

5:24 PM

Amid complaints of harassment of voters in UP bypoll, EC orders suspension of five cops

At least five police personnel were suspended and many others removed from poll duty in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday for flouting Election Commission guidelines and stopping electors from casting votes in the ongoing assembly bypolls, officials said. The action by the poll authority came amid complaints by opposition parties, mainly Samajwadi Party that people from a particular community were being prevented from casting vote.

5:03 PM

Jharkhand Assembly elections: Jharkhand records voter turnout of 61% by 3 pm

Jharkhand saw a voter turnout of 61.47 per cent in the second phase of polling. The highest voter turnout was recorded in Pakur at 69.31 per cent, followed by Jamtara at 68.24 per cent and Ramgarh at 66.02 per cent, while Dhanbad reported the lowest at 56.32 per cent.

4:38 PM

Maharashtra elections: Unidentified persons fire rounds at Shiv Sena nominee's car in Shrirampur

Three unidentified persons allegedly opened fire at Shiv Sena candidate Bhausaheb Kamble's car in Maharashtra's Shrirampur in the early hours of Wednesday, police said. The three persons riding two motorcycles targeted Kamble's car near Ashok Sugar Mills on the day of polling. The bullets, however, didn't hit the car and Kamble, a police official said.

4:17 PM

Assembly elections LIVE: NCP (SP) worker assaulted, polling booth vandalised in Parli

A polling booth was vandalised and a worker of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) was assaulted on Wednesday in Parli assembly constituency, from where minister Dhananjay Munde of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP is seeking re-election, an official said. Madhav Jadhav, a local leader of the Sharad Pawar-led party was assaulted in Bank Colony area of Parli town and the video of the assault went viral on social media, after which a polling booth at Ghatnandur in the constituency was vandalised, an official said.

3:58 PM

News update: Voter turnout of 61.47% recorded till 3 pm in second and final phase of Jharkhand polls

3:53 PM

News update: 45.53 per cent voter turnout recorded till 3 pm in Maharashtra Assembly elections

3:37 PM

NCP workers gave death threats to our cadres, alleges Yugendra Pawar's mother

Yugendra Pawar, a grandnephew of NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar is pitted against his uncle and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a high-profile contest in the stronghold of Pawars. Yugendra's mother, Sharmila Pawar, alleged that one of their party cadres was intimidated by the workers of the rival faction outside a polling booth in Baramati.

 

3:26 PM

Bypolls update: Around 35 per cent polling registered till 1 pm

A voter turnout of around 35 per cent was recorded till 1 pm in the bypolls to 15 assembly seats spread across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala and Uttarakhand on Wednesday amid stray incidents of violence and complaints of irregularities against police officials.

and misuse of government machinery.

3:23 PM

Would be ‘stupid’ to distribute money at a place owned by ‘Opposition parties,’ says BJP leader Tawde

“The Vivanta Hotel (at Virar in Palghar) is owned by the Thakurs. I am not stupid to go to their hotel and distribute money there,” BJP leader Vinod Tawde said. He added that he was “having a casual chat with party workers,” and that he was “not campaigning”. He denied all allegations of distributing cash to influence voters. 

 

3:04 PM

Bypolls update: 34.40% voter turnout in Uttarakhand's Kedarnath bypoll by 1 pm

Poll officials said that a voter turnout of 34.40% was recorded in the Kedarnath assembly bypoll in Uttarakhand by 1 pm. 

2:59 PM

Assembly elections: Singer Shankar Mahadevan cast vote for Maharashtra elections

"Voting is going on very peacefully. I would urge everyone to vote," singer Shankar Mahadevan said today.

2:51 PM

Maharashtra Assembly elections update: Actor and author Twinkle Khanna casts her vote in Mumbai

 

 

2:37 PM

Uttar Pradesh bypolls: 31.21 pc turnout at 1 pm in 9 assembly seats

According to the Election Commission's update at 1 am, the average voting for the bypolls in nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh stood at 31.21 per cent.

2:29 PM

News update: Actor Arjun Kapoor exercises ballot for Maharashtra Assembly polls at polling booth in Mumbai

2:24 PM

News update: ED searches Raipur premises of Gaurav Mehta, allegedly linked to bitcoin case

2:05 PM

Actor Sohail Khan casts vote for Maharashtra Assembly elections

I wish whoever gets elected loves Bandra the way all residents of Bandra love it. Voting is a responsibility. I appeal to everyone to increase the voting percentage because we are the ones who chose our politicians. It will be our fault if we dont vote," says actor Sohail Khan.

1:59 PM

Maharashtra Assembly elections: This election will decide the future of Maharashtra, says Sharad Pawar

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said the assembly elections will decide Maharashtra's future and appealed to people in the state to exercise their franchise. Talking to reporters in Baramati town of Pune district after casting his vote, Pawar said all the electors should exercise their right to vote.

"This election is extremely important. It will decide the future of Maharashtra. I appeal to all citizens to come out and vote," he said.

1:41 PM

Maoists torch 5 trucks in Jharkhand's Latehar before phase-2 of election

Members of the banned Jharkhand Prastuti Committee (JPC), a splinter group of Maoists, torched five trucks in Laat forest  under the jurisdiction of Herhanj Police Station, hours before the beginning of the second and final phase of the Jharkhand assembly polls.  

1:28 PM

Assembly elections LIVE: Officer replaced after allegations of favouring candidate

Dubey on Wednesday said he had filed a complaint with the Election Commission against a presiding officer for allegedly "favouring a ruling party candidate" in Madhupur assembly constituency during voting. Dubey claimed that following his complaint, the officer was arrested. However, the Deoghar administration said the officer was replaced after being found too close to the voting compartment, which is against Election Commission rules.

1:19 PM

Shiv Sena leader Govinda exercises franchise in Maharashtra elections

"Step outside and vote," says actor and Shiv Sena leader Govinda after casting vote in Mumbai. 

 

1:08 PM

Singer Kailash Kher casts his vote in Mumbai

"Voting is a celebration of democracy. I urge everyone to vote," singer Kailash Kher said.

1:00 PM

Assembly elections LIVE: EC should look into issues in the voter enrolment process, says Gadkari

Union minister Nitin Gadkari has asked the Election Commission to address issues in the voter enrolment process, citing irregularities in the inclusion of names in the voters' list. The current system was causing disappointment to many people, he said.

12:47 PM

Maharashtra elections LIVE: Deliberate attempt made to stoke controversy on Tawde issue, says Devendra Fadavis

"As far as Vinod Tawde is concerned, I made it clear yesterday too that neither did he distribute any money nor was any money found with him. A deliberate attempt was made to stoke controversy, an ecosystem was used," Maharashtra Deputy CM Fadnavis asserted today.

12:39 PM

Mahayuti government will be elected with big majority, says Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde

"People have not forgotten what happened in 2019, the mandate was for Mahayuti but Mahayuti could not form the government. People have seen their (Maha Vikas Aghadi) 2.5 years of rule and have also seen our 2.5 years of rule. We started the development that they had stopped. We started many schemes including Ladli Behna... Mahayuti will form the government with a huge majority," Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said.

12:27 PM

Assembly elections LIVE: BJP MP Hema Malini casts vote in Mumbai

"I appeal everyone to come out and cast their votes. This is their right and their duty," says actor and BJP MP Hema Malini as she casts her vote at a polling booth in Mumbai."

 

12:26 PM

Assembly elections LIVE: NDA govt will be formed in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, says Chhattisgarh CM

As voting is in progress for Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly elections, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressed confidence that NDA would form government in both the states. Vishnu Deo Sai said, "BJP and NDA are going to succeed in both places and governments will be formed in both the states. When they (the opposition) lose, they blame the EVMs and when they win, the EVMs turn out to be right for them."

12:15 PM

Maharashtra election LIVE: Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran casts vote

"It is a precious privilege to have the opportunity to exercise voting, and I am absolutely delighted that we have this privilege, and I would encourage everyone to turn out and exercise their option and vote today," says Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran as he casts his vote at a polling booth in Peddar Road, Mumbai.