Polling in progress for Maharashtra and Haryana assembly elections; Bypoll also begins for 51 assembly, 2 Lok Sabha seats across 18 states

Voting for assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana is in progress. The elections are being conducted in a single phase today.

According to reports, in Maharashtra, over 12 per cent voting was recorded till noon. Polling is on for 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra. RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat voted at a polling booth in Mahal area of Nagpur around 7 am. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit also voted in their respective constituencies.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis cast his vote at a polling booth in West Nagpur. He urged people to participate in, ‘the festival of democracy’.

In Haryana, 22.40 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 11:45 AM. Chief Minister of Haryana Manohar Lal cast his vote at Government Higher Secondary School, Prem Nagar of Karnal Assembly constituency.

The counting of votes in both states will be on October 24.

Meanwhile, the voting has begun for by-polls to two Lok Sabha and 51 Assembly seats spread over in 17 States. The two Lok Sabha seats where by-polls are taking place are Samastipur in Bihar and Satara in Maharashtra. Assembly constituencies for which by-polls are being held are 11 seats of Uttar Pradesh, 6 in Gujarat, 5 seats each in Kerala and Bihar, 3 in Sikkim, 4 each of Punjab and Assam, 2 each of Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh and one seat each in Odisha, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Meghalaya, Pudducherry and Arunachal Pradesh.

(With inputs from AIR)