58.43% turnout in Maha

Mumbai: Altogether 58.43 per cent voters exercised their franchise Wednesday in the assembly elections in Maharashtra, where the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is vying to retain power and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) combine is hoping for a comeback. The figures are provisional, election officials said, adding 61.74 per cent polling was recorded in the 2019 elections. Voting began in all the 288 assembly seats at 7 am and ended at 6 pm.

The votes will be counted on November 23. Polling was marred by incidents of vandalism at Parli and a few places in Beed district, and also saw rival party supporters clashing in some places. A clash broke out between Shiv Sena candidate Suhas Kande and independent candidate Sameer Bhujbal in Nandgaon assembly constituency of Nashik district. A polling booth was vandalised and a worker of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) was assaulted in Parli assembly constituency, where minister Dhananjay Munde of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP was in the fray.