Girish Mahajan, a senior BJP leader and Maharashtra’s Water Resources Minister, has reportedly said that the state’s assembly election could take place on October 10 or October 13. He also suggested the model code of conduct could take effect from September 10 or September 15.

What Mahajan said

The remarks were attributed to Mahajan by a Nashik district official who attended a district planning committee meeting the minister addressed. Mahajan is the guardian minister for Nashik. “The assembly elections might be held on October 10 or 13,” the official quoted him as saying.

At the same meeting, Mahajan said the government might try cloud seeding to produce artificial rain in drought-hit Marathwada after July 30. He did not respond to calls or messages seeking comment.

His prediction differs from one made in June by Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil, regarded as the second most important member of the cabinet, who had suggested polling might take place between October 15 and October 20.

Background

The BJP and Shiv Sena took power together in 2014, in the election to the 13th Legislative Assembly, unseating the Congress-led UPA that had ruled since 1999. Of the 288 seats, the BJP took 122 and the Sena 63.

What happened next

In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly election, the BJP won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena 56, the NCP 54 and the Congress 44. After the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance broke up, Uddhav Thackeray of the Shiv Sena became Chief Minister in November 2019 with the support of the NCP and the Congress.

See also: Bharatiya Janata Party, elections.

Originally published on 15 July 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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