Giriraj Singh confident of BJP win in Jharkhand, Maharashtra; vows to curb infiltrators

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], November 21 (ANI): Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Wednesday expressed confidence in the BJP's victory in the Jharkhand and Maharashtra assembly elections.
He stated that infiltrators would be barred from entering Jharkhand and West Bengal once a "double-engine" government is established in these states.
"A double-engine government will be formed under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi in both Jharkhand and Maharashtra. When the government is formed, infiltrators entering Jharkhand through Bengal will be stopped, and when we form the government in West Bengal, we will deport infiltrators from Bengal as well," he said.
As the high-stakes assembly election polls concluded, Maharashtra recorded a voter turnout of 62.05 per cent, while Jharkhand saw 68.01 per cent, surpassing the 67.04 per cent turnout in the 2019 assembly elections, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The ECI reported that simultaneous polling for all 288 seats in Maharashtra and 38 seats in Jharkhand (Phase 2) was conducted peacefully.
Polling progressed smoothly even in Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected areas of both states, including Gadchiroli in Maharashtra and Giridih in Jharkhand.
With this, elections have concluded for the Jharkhand and Maharashtra legislative assemblies as well as bypolls in 48 assembly constituencies and two parliamentary constituencies across 15 states in two phases.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, closely monitored every aspect of the poll process, including measures to enhance voter participation.
As of 5 pm, a voter turnout of 58.22 per cent was recorded in Maharashtra, while Jharkhand saw 67.59 per cent. The first phase of polling in Jharkhand took place on November 13 in 43 of the state's 81 assembly constituencies.
The results for all 81 constituencies in Jharkhand, along with those for the Maharashtra assembly elections and bypolls across several states, will be declared on November 23. (ANI)