Voting in Pune faced significant disruptions during the Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 due to malfunctioning Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at several polling centers. Notable issues were reported from the Anna Saheb School center in Kothrud, where voters experienced delays, leading to frustration among the electorate.
Local residents expressed anger over the technical glitches, accusing authorities of poor preparation. As the number of voters in Pune district, including Pune city, has increased by more than 11 lakhs in the past five years since the 2019 state assembly elections, 608 polling stations have been added in the 2024 assembly elections.
Voting for the single-phase Maharashtra assembly elections began at 7 am and will conclude at 6 pm. Polling is taking place across 288 assembly constituencies. A total of 4,136 candidates are contesting the elections, including 2,086 independents. The Mahayuti alliance, comprising BJP, Shiv Sena (led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde), and NCP (under Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar) will battle it out against the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, which includes Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (led by Sharad Pawar). The election sees a significant increase in the number of candidates compared to the 2019 state assembly elections, with a total of 4,136 candidates vying for 288 seats—an increase of 28% from the previous election.