NEW DELHI: Voting for the assembly polls has begun in Maharashtra and Haryana, in the first set of elections after the Lok Sabha polls of 2019. In both states, chief ministers from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Devendra Fadnavis and Manohar Lal Khattar, are seeking second terms even as the Congress and other regional forces seek to challenge the BJP’s dominance.
The elections are being seen as significant for they will reflect if the BJP’s popularity is intact or has depleted after Narendra Modi formed the government the second time around and took significant decisions, including changing the constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir.
It will also be a test of whether the Opposition has been able to revive. The polls are happening at a time when there is a general economic slowdown, which the government has sought to address through corrective measures in recent weeks.
BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said he was confident that the party will win both the state elections. “ The return of the BJP government in Maharashtra is necessary for a stronger India and corruption-free administration. The Haryana government has remained honest and transparent to people while remaining aloof from casteism,” he said.
(Agencies)
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