Maharashtra Assembly Elections Likely In November; Is Govt Wooing Voters With Schemes?

The Maharashtra assembly's term concludes in November of this year, and it will be the first significant elections following the Lok Sabha elections, which will include fierce competition between the opposition and ruling parties. However, the Election Commission has not released any dates as of yet, which has led to a lot of conjecture.

As per the latest schedule update, the Maharashtra assembly elections is expected to take place between November 5 and 15, which is after Diwali. The Election Commission has not made any official confirmation regarding the same.

There are just a few days left until the announcement of the bypolls, and both the Mahayuti alliance (BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP) and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (Shiv Sena UBT, NCP-SP, and Congress) are preparing to win a majority in the forthcoming election.

At first, it was thought that the elections for the state assemblies in Maharashtra and Haryana would happen in the same period in October. This is because the terms of both assemblies expire on November 3 and 26, respectively. However, it is anticipated that the Maharashtra elections will be postponed and held in November due to various political circumstances.

Debacle Of Lok Sabha Elections:

The Mahayuti government's current political situation and the dynamics within their partnership could be one contributing cause. With only 17 out of 48 seats won in the most recent Lok Sabha elections, the Mahayuti alliance suffered a severe blow. The Maharashtra MVA won 30 of the 48 seats in the state in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, while the Mahayuti only managed to win 17 seats. Congress rebel Vishal Patil, an independent, won one seat, Sangli.

Rising tensions between the Maratha and OBC populations, coupled with continuous agitations throughout the state, present another difficulty for the government. Conducting a state election under these delicate conditions could harm the government led by Mahayuti. Thus, the government would need as much time as possible to prepare for the important state elections.

Welfare Schemes Announced To Win Voters' Vote:

Another reason for holding the elections after Diwali is the Shinde government's recently announced welfare initiatives. These social programs will be fully utilised by the state administration to win over voters in the next election. The Shinde government is prepared to give financial benefits to the people shortly before the elections through programs like Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, Majha Ladka Bhau Yojana, and others, which may be beneficial to them. On August 17, in honour of Raksha Bandhan, the Mahayuti administration is scheduled to distribute the first instalment of the Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana. It is anticipated that a comparable instalment will fall on Bhaubeej or Bhau Bij, the night of Diwali.

The state government's Anandachi Shidha project, which supplies sugar, dal and oil needed to make sweets during Diwali, is anticipated to be in line with efforts to win over as many people as possible.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is working to persuade the public to vote for the coalition's better governance agenda rather than being lured by freebies, while the Mahayuti alliance government is anticipated to employ all available means to win over the electorate. Whoever wins the next election battle will be an interesting person to watch.