Thane, Palghar election results live: Shinde Sena's Balaji Kinikar leads from Thane, early trends show

A peon with the Kalyan civic body in Thane district, who was on Maharashtra assembly election duty, has been booked for allegedly misguiding an elderly female voter on the polling day, a police official said on Friday.

Here are the current leads, according to very early trends:

Bharatiya Janata Party: 24

Shiv Sena: 6

Nationalist Congress Party: 5

Congress: 2

Prahar Janshakti Party: 2

Bahujan Vikas Aaghadi: 1

Nationalist Congress Party (SP): 1

Thane, Palghar election results live: Early trends show Dr Balaji Pralhad Kinikar from Eknath Shinde's faction of Shiv Sena leading from the Thane constituency.

Thane, Palghar election results live: While the votes for the Maharashtra Assembly elections 2024 began at 8 am, the final official results are expected to be declared by the Election Commission of India (ECI) only by evening after all rounds of voting for all 288 seats have taken place. However, early trends will start coming in shortly after the votes are counted.

Thane, Palghar election results live: The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi constituents are contemplating “anti-poaching” measures in anticipation of a hung assembly in Maharashtra.

“We have decided to bring all newly-elected MLAs to Mumbai. New MLAs have no provision to stay in Mumbai. So we have decided to make their residential arrangements together,” said Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut.

Congress Maharashtra's in-charge, Ramesh Chennithala, on Friday held a meeting with all its Maharashtra assembly poll candidates on the eve of the vote counting. Later, the party's core group held a meeting to discuss government formation and steps to be taken for the security of MLAs to avoid poaching, senior leader Naseem Khan said.

Thane, Palghar election results live: NCP leader Suraj Chavan expressed confidence of the ruling Mahayuti coalition registering a victory in the assembly election.

"The mood of Maharashtra has been with the Mahayuti for the past two and a half years. By this afternoon, Maharashtra's mood will be clear, and the Mahayuti will establish its government," said Chavan.

Thane, Palghar election results live: Maharashtra witnessed a 66.05 per cent turnout on Nov 20, up from 61 per cent in the assembly elections held five years ago.

“The Election Commission of India gave a lot of focus, attention, and time to Maharashtra at this time. Each and every strategy was conceptualised and implemented with high precision. This resulted in a huge number of additions to the voter list also between the Parliament election and the current election,” ANI quoted chief electoral officer S Chockalingam as saying.

Thane, Palghar election results live: To boost voter turnout in Thane district, a one-click facility was introduced for the state assembly elections where voters only have to scan QR codes to find out about polling stations.

The QR codes directed voters to their designated polling booths, providing them with critical information such as the exact location and address.

Thane collector and election officer Ashok Shingare said the initiative aims to enhance voter convenience and participation, particularly as the Election Commission raised concerns regarding low voter turnout in the Thane and Kalyan regions.

The district's election department reported over 156 million impressions on its social media platforms.

Despite such measures, Thane district recorded only 56.05 per cent voter turnout.

Thane, Palghar election results live: On Thursday, an FIR was registered against Kesar Dighe, a Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate from Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency, for allegedly distributing cash and liquor to voters ahead of November 20 polling.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), Dighe and his supporters allegedly distributed liquor and cash to voters. A non-cognisable offence has been registered under Section 174 (undue influence or impersonation) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS).

The FIR stated that 10 bottles of liquor and ₹52,000 in cash were seized from a vehicle belonging to one of Dighe’s supporters. The vehicle was found at Ashtavinayaka Chowk in Kopri. The FIR mentions that the car had a ‘Government of Maharashtra’ plate and an amber beacon. Nine accused, including Dighe, have been named in the FIR.

Thane, Palghar election results live: For those looking to stay updated, the results can be tracked on various platforms, including live updates from trusted news sources. Results will be available on the website of the Election Commission of India (ECI) and across all major news channels, including hindustantimes.com, which will provide real-time comprehensive coverage of the election results through detailed live blogs.

To check results on the ECI website tomorrow, click here.

Thane, Palghar election results live: CM Eknath Shinde is seeking a fourth term as an MLA from Thane's Kopri-Pachpakhadi seat. He is expected to face stiff competition from Kedar Dighe of the Shiv Sena (UBT) faction.

Kedar Dighe is the nephew of the late Anand Dighe, a highly influential Shiv Sena leader and a political mentor to Eknath Shinde. He currently leads the party's Thane district unit.

Kopri-Pachpakhadi has been Shinde's stronghold since 2009. The election assumes significance as it marks the first electoral battle between Shiv Sena factions after the party's split.

Thane, Palghar election results live: Thane district had recorded 56.05 per cent voter turnout with 59.85 per cent polling in Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's constituency in the Maharashtra assembly elections.

In Thane, Bhiwandi Rural constituency had the highest turnout of 69.01 per cent, while Ambernath recorded the lowest at 47.75 per cent.

In CM Shinde's Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency in Thane, the voter turnout was 59.85 per cent.

In Palghar, Vikramgad recorded the highest turnout of 77.75 per cent, while Vasai had the lowest at 60.46 per cent.