MAHARASHTRA ELECTIONS 2019

The 288-seat Maharashtra assembly will go to poll on October 21 and the results will be announced on October 24. In 2014, BJP with victory on 122 seats fell short of the majority (145 seats). It allied with its traditional ally the Shiv Sena to form government in the state. BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the chief minister of the state. In the opposition camp, both the NCP and the Congress failed to strike a deal on the number of seats and hence broke off the 15-year-old alliance. Both the parties decided to contest alone. The Congress won 42 seats, while the NCP secured victory on 41 seats. The BJP is eyeing to sweep the upcoming Maharashtra assembly polls and is confident of a second term in office as the opposition NCP and Congress in the state appear to be in disarray, say observers. While BJP's main poll plank is likely to be the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress and NCP would like to focus the electoral debate on local issues, arguing that election is about Maharashtra and not Kashmir. The opposition NCP is also dealing with its issues, including naming of 78-year-old Sharad Pawar in the Maharashtra State Co-operative (MSC) Bank scam. Apart from these four parties, the Prakash Ambedkar- led Vanchit Bahujan Agadhi (VBA), which dented Congress' winning prospects in some seats during the Lok Sabha polls this year, has decided to contest all 288 Assembly seats in the state and refused to join the Congress-NCP alliance.