Jalgaon: The election for the Jalgaon Local Authorities’ constituency of the Maharashtra Legislative Council witnessed an impressive voter turnout of 97.78% on Thursday, with the polling process concluding peacefully across the district, officials said.
A total of 630 eligible voters—315 men and 315 women representing municipal corporations and municipal councils—were registered to vote. Of these, 616 voters exercised their franchise, including 309 men and 307 women.
Out of the seven polling centres in the district, five centres—Amalner, Faizpur, Jalgaon, Erandol and Pachora—recorded 100% voter turnout. Bhusawal registered a turnout of 98.11%, with 116 of the 118 eligible voters casting their votes, while Chalisgaon recorded the lowest turnout at 76.19%, with 29 of 41 voters participating.
By 2 pm, polling had already crossed 93.81%, with 591 voters (296 men and 295 women) having cast their ballots. Election officials noted strong enthusiasm among voters, many of whom arrived at polling stations early in the morning to exercise their democratic right.
Although four candidates had initially filed nominations, the contest narrowed significantly before polling day. Reshma Kale, a rebel candidate from the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, withdrew from the race, while independent candidate Anil Chaudhary announced his withdrawal on Wednesday.
As a result, the main contest was between Sharad Tayade of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (UBT) and Nandkishor Mahajan of the BJP. BJP leader and state minister Girish Mahajan expressed confidence that BJP candidate Nandkishor Mahajan would secure victory by a record margin.
Following the completion of polling in the evening, ballot boxes were sealed and securely stored at the Jalgaon Collector’s office. The counting of votes is scheduled to take place on June 22 at the Collectorate.
