Voting for all the 288 seats in Maharashtra and the second phase of 38 seats in Jharkhand will be held today in which the BJP and the I.N.D.I.A bloc parties are heading for close contest. In Maharashtra, the elections are crucial for both the ‘Mahayuti’ consisting of BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP and ‘Maha Vikas Aghadi’ comprising Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar). The Mahayuti seeks to retain power while MVA is hoping to avenge the fall of their government. The JMM-led I.N.D.I.A bloc in Jharkhand is also hoping to return to power but the BJP is banking on a high-octane Hindutva campaign to oust them.
