The Wire Staff 
New Delhi: Maharashtra saw a 58.22% voter turnout while Jharkhand recorded 67.59% till 5 pm as voting for assembly elections concluded on Wednesday (November 20) in both the states, as per the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Among the districts, Gadchiroli recorded the highest voter turnout at 69.63%, while Mumbai city recorded the lowest at 49.07% till 5 pm in Maharashtra. Despite efforts by the ECI to enhance voter participation, urban areas continued to show low participation, particularly in cities like Mumbai, Thane (49.76%) and Pune (54.09%).
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Over 97 million electors were eligible to cast their votes for 288 assembly seats, with 4,140 candidates contesting in Maharastra, as per the ECI data. The state witnessed high-profile contests in seats like Worli where Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) had fielded Aaditya Thackeray against Bharatiya Janata Party’s Milind Deora, chief minister Eknath Shinde’s Kopri-Pachpakhadi, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s Nagpur South-West and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar against nephew Yugendra Pawar in Baramati constituency.
Jharkhand, on the other hand, saw voting in 38 remaining seats in the second phase of the state polls today, with 528 candidates in the fray. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress coalition aimed to retain power, while the BJP sought to return to power after the 2019 loss.
In Jharkhand, Jamtara recorded the highest voter turnout at 76.16%, while Bokaro recorded the lowest at 60.97% till 5 pm.
The counting of votes in both the states is scheduled for Saturday (November 23).