Preparations are underway to count votes and declare the results of the Maharashtra assembly elections on Saturday, November 23, at multiple centres in Mumbai and elsewhere in the state, with tight security in place since Wednesday.

The sale of alcohol, which has already been prohibited across Mumbai and other cities in Maharashtra, will remain banned until 6 pm on Saturday, November 23, after the results of the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections are declared. However, despite the ban, a few liquor outlets in Mumbai are still illegally selling alcohol to regular customers coming in their own vehicles, according to restaurant owners, even as police continue to stop and check random vehicles.

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According to the Election Commission of India, counting will begin at 7 am on Saturday, November 23, with early trends expected by 10 am. The final results will be available from noon onwards. Postal votes will be counted first, followed by the votes recorded on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), an official release said.

Meanwhile, security across Maharashtra has been stepped up, and all EVMs and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) devices used in Mumbai during the elections have been stored in strong rooms — one for each of the city’s 36 constituencies, according to city civic officials.

Across Mumbai, more than 2,700 officials and plainclothes staff have been deployed to count votes. Ahead of the vote count, the Mumbai Police have imposed a ban on public assembly within a 300-metre radius of all 36 counting centres. The restriction will remain in effect from 6 am on November 21 until midnight of November 24, the Mumbai Police said.

In Mumbai’s sister city Navi Mumbai, the police have beefed up security and implemented stringent measures to prevent any disturbances. Prohibitory orders under Section 149 of the Criminal Procedure Code have been issued to select political party office-bearers, requiring their presence at counting centres, even as restrictions on movement have been enforced within 300 metres of vote counting centres in Airoli, Belapur, Panvel, and Uran, which lie in the adjoining Navi Mumbai.

All four counting centres, namely Saraswati Vidyalaya in Airoli, Agri Koli Bhavan in Nerul, Anjuman Islam Kalsekar Polytechnic College in Panvel as well as the Zilla Parishad School in Jasai, have been cordoned off with strict monitoring by the police. Traffic and parking restrictions are in place near these locations, except for vehicles involved in election duties and emergency services. Vehicles are also being stopped and checked at various locations in and around Mumbai.

Anticipating possible clashes between supporters of winning and losing candidates after the results are announced on Saturday, security has been intensified citywide, with enhanced patrolling on major roads and around key locations across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Thane.