Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday said that BJP-Shiv Sena alliance will form the next government in Maharashtra with a "record- breaking victory".
Gadkari, who was among the early voters in Nagpur, said people will vote on the basis of the five-year performance of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and the Devendra Fadnavis-led dispensation in Maharashtra. "The BJP-Sena will have a record-breaking victory and Fadnavis will be the chief minister again," he told reporters after casting his vote. He also urged people to come out to vote and strengthen the democracy, and said NOTA (none of the above) was not a good option in democracy.
A total of 3,237 candidates from a host of parties besides Independents are in the fray in which the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena combine is hoping to return to power for a second consecutive term against the opposition Congress-NCP alliance.
The state has a total electorate of 8.97 crore, comprising 4.68 crore men and 4.28 crore women, plus 2,634 transgender voters. The Election Commission has set up 966,661 polling stations and deployed a total number 135,021 VVPAT-EVMs for voting in the state.
(Inputs from Agencies)
