Maharashtra results: Strong security arrangements in Baramati as counting of votes gets underway

Baramati: As the counting of Maharashtra Assembly elections got underway on Saturday, the Pune police have made strong security arrangements with an adequate number of personnel.
Speaking to ANI, Pune Rural Deputy Superintendent of Police, Sudarshan Rathore said that 250 jawans and 20 officials are present in Baramati to avoid any mishappening during the counting process.
"As per the ECI guidelines, we have made a three-tier security arrangement here. There are inner-middle and outer cordons placed here...We are checking everyone, mobile phones are not allowed inside. Around 250 jawans and 20 officials are present here today," he said.
One of the most anticipated battles in these elections is taking place in Baramati. Where Ajit Pawar is contesting Yugendra Pawar, the son of his younger brother, Shrinivas Pawar.
Baramati also drew attention in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections when Sunetra Pawar challenged Supriya Sule, who ultimately won by a margin of 1.5 lakh votes.
Meanwhile, the counting begins at 8 am today for the Maharashtra and Jharkhand polls along with the results of by-polls of several states.
In Maharashtra, the polling for the Legislative Assembly was held on Wednesday, with a turnout of over 66 percent, surpassing the 61 percent recorded in the 2019 elections.
The Mahayuti alliance, which includes the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, is in a tough contest with the MVA alliance consisting of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP). Both alliances view the increased voter turnout as a sign of support for their respective campaigns.
In the Mahayuti alliance, the BJP is contesting 148 seats, Shiv Sena (led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde) 80, and NCP (led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar) 52. Six additional seats have Mahayuti candidates in the fray.
In the MVA alliance, Congress is contesting 102 seats, Shiv Sena (UBT) 96, and NCP (SP) 86. The Samajwadi Party and smaller MVA allies are contesting two seats each.