Election Commission has set up a total 33,314 polling stations in these constituencies, deployed 68,018 balloting units, 39,977 control units and 43,309 VVPAT-EVMs
Mumbai: A staggering 3.1 crore voters, including 1,418 transgender, are expected to exercise their franchise on Monday in 17 Maharashtra constituencies for the fourth and final phase in the state.
The constituencies going to elections are: Mumbai North, Mumbai North-West, Mumbai North-East, Mumbai North-Central, Mumbai South-Central, Mumbai South, Nandurbar, Dhule, Dindori, Nashik, Palghar, Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Thane, Maval, Shirur and Shirdi.
Dismissing reports on social media, the EC official said that there is no need to press the voting button on the electronic voting machine (EVM) for 7 seconds to view the voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) slip, as it will roll out instantly. Of these 17 constituencies, the highest number of voters – 23,70,276 – are registered in Thane and the lowest – 14,40,142 – are registered in Mumbai South-Central constituency.
The EC has set up a total 33,314 polling stations in these constituencies, deployed 68,018 balloting units, 39,977 control units and 43,309 VVPAT-EVMs. Voting will be conducted in all the 17 Lok Sabha seats from 7 am to 6 pm under stringent security measures, according to the EC official. A Mumbai Police spokesperson said that a total of 10,073 booths have been set up at 1,492 polling stations
in the city’s six seats, spread across areas ranging from some of the poshest locations of south Mumbai to the sprawling slums of Dharavi, the tribal hamlets of Sanjay Gandhi National Park and the fishing villages dotting the city coast. Of these polling stations, 325 have been declared as “critical”, and more than 40,000 security personnel will be deployed in the city, including Mumbai Police and other agencies.
As part of their pre-poll precautions, the police have externed 204 criminals from Mumbai, taken bonds of security from 8,117 from history sheeters and others with questionable credentials, served notices to 5,771 others, including six under the Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities Act, 1981.
Since the election Model Code of Conduct came into effect on March 10, the city police have so far seized 391 illegal weapons, 2,648 litres of illegal liquor worth over a million rupees, and around 210 kgs of narcotic drugs worth nearly Rs 40 crore, the spokesperson said. The FPJ gives a round-up of 11 constituencies that go to polls today in Maharashtra, apart from the six seats in Mumbai.
Shirdi
Shirdi has been held by the Shiv Sena since 2009 and its two reserved Assembly segments — Shrirampur (SC) and Akole (ST) — are held by Congress legislators. Its two reserved Assembly segments, Akole and Shrirampur are held by NCP and Congress respectively, besides two each (unreserved Assembly seats) by the Congress and BJP.
Famed for the Shri Saibaba Temple, which entered the country’s aviation map last year, it will see a contest beween Shiv Sena’s sitting MP Sadashiv Lokhande and the Bhausaheb M Kamble of Congress, a legislator from Shrirampur. The constituency has an electorate of 14,59,712, including 7,65,921 men and 6,93,791 women.
Nashik
A key battle will unfold in Nashik, with NCP’s Sameer Bhujbal, nephew of former Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal challenging the sitting Shiv Sena MP, Hemant Godse. Sameer Bhujbal and Godse will lock horns in the backdrop of both the uncle-nephew duo being jailed — Chhagan Bhujbal for two years and Sameer Bhujbal for one-and-half years — in a money-laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Bhujbal, a former Mumbai Mayor and close confidante of the founder-patriarch of Shiv Sena, the late Bal Thackeray, suddenly quit in 1991, and was rewarded with a ministry in the Congress government.
This time, Godse faces an uphill task with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) supporting Sameer Bhujbal, and also Congress-NCP led Mahagathbandhan. The constituency has 15,93,237 voters including 5,24,572 men and 7,42,780 women.
Palghar
Starting with the outskirts, Palghar is a reserved (Scheduled Tribe) seat, which was with the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi’s Baliram S. Jadhav in 2009. It was won by BJP’s Chintaman Vanaga in 2014 and Rajendra Gavit in the 2018 by-elections. This time, Gavit is contesting on a Shiv Sena ticket.
The challenge is from Jadhav, who is having the support of the 56-party Congress-NCP led mahagathbandhan in the state. The constituency has a total electorate of 15,78,077, comprising 8,30,432 men and 7,47,645 women.
Kalyan
Sitting MP Shrikant Shinde (Shiv Sena), son of Maharashtra Minister Eknath Shinde, had defeated NCP candidate Anand P. Paranjpe, a former Shiv Sena MP, in 2014, in this Sena bastion. This time, the NCP has fielded veteran social worker and municipal corporator Babaji B. Patil against him in the constituency, which has a total electorate of 19,22,,045 including 10,45,495 men and 8,76,551 women.
Dhule
Dhule is a prestigious seat currently represented by BJP’s Union Minister of State for Defence (Dr) Subhas Bhamre, who is seeking re-election, fighting against Congress legislator Kunal R. Patil, the son of party strongman and ex-minister Rohidas Patil. However, the Congress has been facing problems of infighting which may mar Patil’s prospects in the seat with 16,74,469 voters comprising 8,78,610 males and 7,95,895 females.
Nandurbar
Nandurbar, a reserved Scheduled Tribe seat, is a challenging seat for sitting BJP MP (Dr.) Heena Gavit who is fighting against KC Padavi of the Congress. A former strongman, nine-time MP and union minister Manikrao H. Gavit, 85, is upset as the Congress denied the party ticket to him and his son Bharat, but the MNS and the Mahagathbandhan support may help Padavi.
Nandurbar has been a Congress bastion since 1967, and this is from where former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had launched her election campaigns. It was first wrested by the BJP’s Heena V. Gavit during the Modi wave in 2014. Of the six reserved Assembly segments, all ST, four are held by the Congress and two are with the BJP. The constituency has a predominantly rural-tribal electorate of 16,72,715, which includes 8,52,379 men and 8,20,336 women.
Bhiwandi
This erstwhile minority-dominated and once communally-sensitive powerloom town elected Suresh K. Taware of Congress in 2009, who was replaced in 2014 with prominent Kunbi community leader Vishwanath R. Patil, who was defeated by BJP’s Kapil M. Patil in 2014. This time, Congress’ Taware will lock horns again with BJP’s Kapil Patil in the constituency with 16,96,598 voters, including 9,45,405 males and 7,51,184 females.
Shirur
There’s a dash of glamour in the form of television actor Amol Kolhe — famed for the roles of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj —contesting on an NCP ticket.
Kolhe had left the Shiv Sena to join the NCP two months ago and is now hoping to wrest the Shirur seat from three-time sitting Sena MP Shivajirao A. Patil. The constituency has 18,24,112 voters comprising 9,73,236 males and 8,50,876 females.
Dindori
Facing a triangular contest this time, Dindori had elected a BJP MP twice — in 2009 and 2014 — and of the two reserved Assembly segments, Dindori is with the NCP and Kalvan is with the CPI-M since 2014.
The tribal-dominated Dindori could pose problems for the BJP which dropped its sitting two-time MP, Harishchandra D. Chavan in favour of recent defector from NCP, Bharti P. Pawar, whom he had defeated in 2014 by a margin of 2.45 lakh votes. She is locking horns with NCP’s Dhanraj Mahale and CPI(M)’s Jiva Pandu Gavit.
Maval
This is a prestige seat, with Parth Ajit Pawar, son of former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and grand-nephew of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, contesting from Maval. Parth is pitted against Shiv Sena’s sitting MP Shrirang C. Barne. The constituency, part of which falls in the MMR, has an electorate of 19,53,741 including 10,35,960 men and 9,17,781 women.
