Maharashtra assembly elections: Mumbai District Collector Sanjay Yadav casts vote, urges citizens to participate in polling

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 20 (ANI): Mumbai District Collector Sanjay Yadav on Wednesday cast his vote for the Maharashtra assembly polls.
Speaking to ANI, Sanjay Yadav urged the residents of Mumbai to cast their vote.
"Today is a very important day for all of us. I have just cast my vote, and I request all Mumbaikars, all voters of Maharashtra, to do the same... We have tried our best to provide all facilities for smooth and peaceful voting," he said.

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner and District Election Officer Bhushan Gagrani said that all arrangements have been made for the polling day.
"I would like to give people the same message that we have given so far: all arrangements have been made. Voters will get all kinds of facilities; there will be queue management, seating arrangements, drinking water, wheelchairs... We have made wide-scale arrangements for this... Voters of Mumbai should come out to vote in large numbers... There is no reason for voters to not come to voting centers and vote." Bhushan Gagrani told ANI
Voting began at 7 am on Wednesday for the single phase of the Maharashtra assembly elections and will conclude at 6 pm. Polling is taking place across 288 assembly constituencies.
A total of 4,136 candidates are contesting the elections, including 2,086 independents. The BJP is contesting 149 seats, Shiv Sena 81, and the NCP 59. The Congress has fielded 101 candidates, Shiv Sena (UBT) 95, and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) 86. The BSP is contesting 237 seats, while other smaller parties are also in the fray. The state has approximately 9.7 crore registered voters.
Shifting alliances, ideological conflicts, complex caste dynamics, and emotional appeals have characterized the battle for power in the Maharashtra Assembly. The primary contest is between the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance and the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena secured 56, and the Congress won 44. In 2014, the BJP claimed 122 seats, Shiv Sena 63, and the Congress 42. (ANI)