Mumbai/Chandigarh: Polling of votes began on a peaceful note on Monday morning across all 288 Assembly constituencies of Maharashtra and 90 segments of Haryana amidst tight security, officials said.
Braving rain in many parts of Maharashtra including Mumbai, early voters turned up to exercise their franchise.
Electors across the state could be seen reaching polling stations even before voting started at 7 a.m. Among the early voters was Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat who voted at a polling centre in Nagpur. Bhagwat also appealed to the masses to step out and cast their votes in large numbers.
In BJP-ruled Haryana, single-phase polling began on Monday morning to elect the 90-member legislative Assembly, election officials said.
Other than minor initial hiccups in the operation of the electronic voting machines, voting began across the state at a brisk pace.
Electors across the state could be seen reaching polling stations even before voting started at 7 a.m. The polling will continue till 6 p.m.
"There has been no report of any delay in starting the poll process," an electoral officer told IANS here.
The election result would be out on October 24, coinciding with the Maharashtra assembly election result.
A total of 1,169 candidates, including 105 women, are in the fray. One candidate is a transgender.
Political observers say the main contest is largely between the BJP and the Congress.