Election Wrap: Uddhav Claims 'Bag Check' Ahead Of Poll Rally; JMM Releases Manifesto

With less than 24 hours left for the first phase of the much-awaited assembly elections in Jharkhand followed by elections in Maharashtra on November 20, both states are gearing up for the high-stakes electoral run. Poll preparations are going on in full swing with fresh developments setting the electoral stage every day.

Jharkhand is set to hold the assembly elections in two phases on November 13 and November 20 while elections in Maharashtra will take place on November 20. Vote counting and result announcement will take place for both the states on November 23, as per the schedule shared by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Maha elections: Uddhav Thackeray's bag checked ahead of poll rally

Just a week ahead of the assembly elections in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday claimed his bag was inspected by election authorities when he arrived in Maharashtra's Yavatmal to campaign for the November 20 assembly elections.

Questioning the move, the former Maharashtra chief minister asked whether the election authorities would also inspect the bags of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders.

Shiv Sena (UBT) also posted on X a video recorded by Thackeray while poll officials were checking his bags on his arrival in Yavatmal. In the video, Thackeray can be heard asking officials if they had similarly inspected the bags of any other senior leader or if they would check PM Modi or Union Home Minister Amit Shah's bags.

According to Thackeray, when he arrived in Wani by helicopter, several election officials inspected his bag. In return, the former CM instructed his party workers and voters to check the pockets and identity cards of the officials who check them.

"You are following your responsibility, and I will perform my responsibility. The way you inspected my bag, did you inspect the bags of Modi and Shah?", the veteran politician asked while adding, "Shouldn't the bags of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and deputy CMs Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis be checked?"

Mahayuti to win with 'huge majority': Haryana CM Saini

Predicting the the Mahayuti alliance's spectacular electoral victory in the upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra, Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini said on Monday said BJP's spectacular victory in the just held Haryana assembly polls will be replicated in Maharashtra and the ruling Mahayuti coalition, of which the national saffron outfit is a constituent, will win the November 20 elections with a "huge majority".

Overcoming ten years of anti-incumbency, the BJP won a third straight term in Haryana by bagging 48 of the 90 assembly seats last month.

Jharkhand elections: JMM releases manifesto

Two days before the first phase of the assembly elections, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Monday released its manifesto for assembly elections promising 33 percent of reservation to women in state government jobs.

“Our manifesto promises 33 per cent reservation to women in all state government jobs. It focuses on nine points,” party spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said.

Unveiled by party supremo Shibu Soren, the manifesto focuses on nine areas, including agriculture, education and the rights of residents.

Moreover, the manifesto also assured people to provide loans of up to Rs 5 crore to MSME entrepreneurs under the Credit Guarantee Scheme while promising to waive loans of small and medium-level traders besides setting up sports centres of excellence in all divisions and a sports university in the state.

The manifesto promised to set up 500 CM Schools of Excellence at the block level and 4,500 model schools at the panchayat level, besides setting up 100 nursing colleges.

Campaigning ends for 43 of 81 assembly seats in Jharkhand

With just a day left for the first phase of elections, poll campaigning ended on Monday for 43 of the total 81 assembly seats in Jharkhand that are going to the polls on November 13 during the first phase of elections.

Star campaigners of both the NDA and INDIA bloc including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president JP Nadda, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi and others canvassed for their respective party nominees during the campaigning.

A total of 1.37 crore voters out of the total 2,60 crore are eligible to participate in the voting on November 13. Altogether 683 candidates - 609 men, 73 women and a third gender person - are in the fray in 43 seats, Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar said.