Voting for crucial Mahal, Ikhand pons ends, Verdict out On Nov 23

MUMBAI/RANCHI: Voters in Maharashtra and Jharkhand turned up in impressive numbers to exercise their franchise on Wednesday, bringing the curtains down on the year's final elections - in which issues of reservation, appeasement, corruption, and infiltration dominated the campaign.

- Surendra P Gangan and Vishal Kant

In Maharashtra, voting for all 288 seats was held in a single phase, and a provisional voter turnout of 64.97% was recorded till ]l.30pm, according to the Election Commission. This number is likely to be revised upwards. The turnout in 2019 was 61.4%.

"The steps taken to improve the facilities at the polling stations and close monitoring by chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar has resulted in good response in the state and especially in Mumbai voters," said Maharashtra additional chief electoral officer Kiran Kulkarni. "We expect the turnout percentage to be better than the 2019 assembly polls."

A pitched contest between two main alliances - the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)played out in one of India's largest states, with distress among farm-ers over prices for their produce and the carpet-bombing of sops and welfare schemes also becoming key rallying points.

Sunanda Lambe, an 84-year-old voter in Ghatkopar West said that she was provided a wheelchair from the gate to the polling booth and the officials allowed her to bypass the queue. "The experience in Lok Sabha polls was not that soothing. It was extremely hot and standing in the sun was very difficult," she added.

The highest turnout was recorded from Chimur, which reported 81.75 polling percentage. The lowest was recorded from Colaba, which reported 44.49% turnout. Mumbai city, which houses 10 seats, recorded a disappointing polling percentage of 52.07%, three percentage points higher than in 2019. (49.3%) "Today, votes will be cast for all the seats of Maharashtra Assembly elections. I urge the voters of the state to be a part of it with full enthusiasm and add to the splendour ofthe festival of democracy," Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X in the morning, shortly after voting began.