In the ongoing Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024, prominent Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik is currently trailing behind Samajwadi Party’s Abu Azmi by a margin of 9,425 votes in the Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar constituency. Malik, 65, previously won from Anushakti Nagar in the 2019 elections but has shifted his focus to contest in Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar this time.

As the vote counting continues, trends show that the BJP is leading in 39 of the 81 assembly seats in Jharkhand, while the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) is ahead in 38 seats. The vote counting process began at 8 AM, and by 9:26 AM, the Election Commission reported that the INDIA Bloc was leading in four seats, while the BJP and an independent candidate each led in one.

The election results will determine the future of 1,211 candidates, including Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who is contesting from Barhait, his wife Kalpana from Gandey, former CM and BJP state president Babulal Marandi from Dhanwar, and ex-CM Champai Soren from Seraikela. Other notable candidates include Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato from Nala, Congress' Deepika Pandey Singh from Mahagama, and Sita Soren, the sister-in-law of CM Hemant Soren, from Jamtara. AJSU Party chief Sudesh Mahto is also in the fray from Silli.

Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar confirmed that counting is underway with strict security measures and is expected to conclude by 4 PM. The lowest number of rounds, 13, will be required for the Torpa assembly seat, while the highest, 24 rounds, will be needed for the Chatra seat. This year, the voter turnout has reached a record high of 67.74%, marking the highest participation since Jharkhand's formation in 2000.

The assembly elections were conducted in two phases, with 43 seats contested on November 13 and 38 seats on November 20.

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