Campaigning for assembly elections ends in Maharashtra, Haryana; 4,406 candidates in fray

With political leaders making all-out efforts to woo voters through rallies and roadshows, the campaign for assembly polls in Haryana and Maharashtra ended on Saturday evening.

While the voters in Haryana will cast their ballots to a total number of 1,169 candidates at 19,578 stations, in Maharashtra, 3,237 candidates are in the fray. The state has 96,661 polling stations.

The elections to 90-member Haryana assembly will witness a multi-cornered contest on several seats. The parties in the fray include BJP, Congress, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP).

The elections are significant as it is the first assembly polls after Modi led the BJP-led NDA to a resounding victory in the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year for a successive second term in office. It is also the first assembly polls after the BJP-led government's decision to repeal Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

On the last day, PM Modi addressed a rally at Rewari and Sirsa in Haryana. Union Home Minister and BJP president Amit Shah held rallies in Maharashtra. State Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis held roadshow in Nagpur while NCP chief Sharad Pawar addressed an election rally in Satara.

BJP is in power on its own in Haryana and in alliance with Shiv Sena in Maharashtra.

The BJP leaders targeted Congress on its past record in office and vociferously raised the issues of the repeal of Article 370 and the efforts to boost national security. Congress and other opposition parties raised issues such as "unemployment", "slow down in economy" and " farm distress".

BJP is contesting 150 seats in 288-member Maharashtra Assembly while its ally Shiv Sena has fielded candidates in 124 candidates. The remaining seats have been left for smaller allies. Congress is contesting the polls in alliance with Nationalist Congress Party in Maharashtra.

(With Agency Inputs)