Voting for the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections began on Monday morning at 7 AM, with the remaining seats in Maharashtra heading to the polls. By 9 AM, the western state recorded a voter turnout of 6.33%. Thirteen constituencies in Maharashtra—namely Dhule, Dindori, Nashik, Palghar, Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Thane, Mumbai North, Mumbai North-West, Mumbai North-East, Mumbai North-Central, Mumbai South-Central, and Mumbai South—are up for grabs in this phase.
Palghar recorded the highest voter turnout by 9 AM, with 7.95%, followed by Mumbai South Central at 7.79%. In Palghar, Dr. Hemant Vishnu Savara from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is contesting against Bharti Bharat Kamdi from Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray). In Mumbai South Central, BJP's Rahul Shewale is up against Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Anil Desai.
Bhiwandi saw the lowest turnout until 9 AM, with only 4.86% of votes cast, followed by Mumbai South at 5.34%. In Bhiwandi, BJP's incumbent MP Kapil Patil faces a challenge from NCP (SCP)'s Suresh Mhatre. In Mumbai South, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s incumbent MP Arvind Sawant is contesting against Shinde Sena's Yamini Jadhav.
Here is the constituency-wise turnout until 9 AM:
- Bhiwandi: 4.86%- Dhule: 6.92%- Dindori: 6.40%- Kalyan: 5.39%- Mumbai North: 6.19%- Mumbai North Central: 6.01%- Mumbai North East: 6.83%- Mumbai North West: 6.87%- Mumbai South: 5.34%- Mumbai South Central: 7.79%- Nashik: 6.45%- Palghar: 7.95%- Thane: 5.67%
Each constituency represents a unique blend of urban and rural demographics, socio-economic profiles, and political aspirations, making every contest vital in the larger electoral narrative.
In Dhule, Subhash Ramrao Bhamre of the BJP is competing against Shobha Dinesh Bachhav of the Indian National Congress (INC).
In Dindori, the contest is between Bharti Pravin Pawar from the BJP and Bhaskar Bhagare of the NCP(SS).
Nashik sees a heated battle between Hemant Godse of the Shiv Sena (SHS) and Rajabhau Waje representing the SS(UBT).
In Bhiwandi, Kapil Moreshwar Patil from the BJP faces off against Suresh Mhatre of the NCP(SS). Kalyan witnesses a closely watched contest between Shrikant Shinde of the SHS and Vaishali Darekar Rane of the SS(UBT).
Lastly, in Mumbai North East, Mihir Kotecha of the BJP is competing against Sanjay Dina Patil of the SS(UBT). These electoral contests epitomize the diverse and dynamic political landscape of Maharashtra, with each constituency poised to shape the state's political trajectory.