Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar stated on Saturday (September 28) that certain urban centers in Maharashtra have been recording some of the lowest voting percentages in the country, specifically mentioning Colaba at 40% and Kalyan at 41%. During a media briefing in Mumbai, he also announced that there will be a total of 1,00,186 polling booths for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections.
"We have come here for the preparedness of the upcoming Assembly elections that are going to take place in Maharashtra. We met with the leaders of national parties and regional parties. We met the stakeholders, DM, Commissioner of Police, DGP. We met the leaders of a total of 11 parties including BSP, AAP, CPI(M), INC, MNS, SP, Shiv Sena (UBT), Shiv Sena. They have asked us to consider the festivals like Diwali, Dev Diwali and Chhath Puja before announcing the dates of the elections, said Rajiv Kumar."
"In Maharashtra, there are 288 constituencies of which ST constituencies are 25 and ST constituencies are 29. The term of the Maharashtra legislative assembly is ending on 26 November so elections have to be completed before that. Total electors in the states are 9.59 crores with male being 4.59 crores and female being 4.64 crores. First-time voters from 18-19 years are quite encouraging, around 19.48 lakhs'', he further stated.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, during his visit to Mumbai, announced that all helicopters will be thoroughly checked to ensure inducement-free assembly elections in Maharashtra. He also noted that political parties have urged the commission to announce the Maharashtra assembly polls while considering upcoming festivals, such as Diwali.