Early turnout nears 7 pc as polling begins for BMC elections in Mumbai
Voting opened amid heavy security across the city, with wide ward-wise variations in participation as Mumbai chooses its civic representatives after a four-year delay.
An average voter turnout of 6.98 per cent was recorded in the first two hours of polling for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections on Thursday, civic officials said.
Polling began at 7.30 am under tight security arrangements and will continue until 5.30 pm. According to data released by the BMC, voter participation varied sharply across wards by 9.30 am. The highest turnout of 11.57 per cent was reported from ward number 18 in the western suburbs, while ward number 162 in the eastern suburbs recorded the lowest turnout at 1.68 per cent.
The Mumbai polls form part of elections being held across 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra on Thursday. Statewide, about 3.48 crore voters are eligible to decide the fate of 15,931 candidates.
The spotlight remains firmly on the BMC, India’s richest civic body with an annual budget exceeding Rs 74,400 crore. As many as 1,700 candidates are contesting for 227 seats in the civic elections, which are being held after a delay of four years.
In Mumbai, the contest has taken on added political significance, with the reunited Thackeray brothers seeking to reclaim their political legacy against the BJP–Shiv Sena alliance.
The civic administration said all arrangements for peaceful and orderly polling were completed on Wednesday, including the distribution of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and election materials at 23 divisional centres across the city. Voting is being conducted at 10,231 polling stations, with 64,375 officers and staff deployed on election duty.
More than 25,000 police personnel have been stationed across Mumbai to oversee polling and the subsequent counting process. Counting of votes will take place on Friday, 16 January at 23 designated centres under the supervision of returning officers, with secure strong rooms arranged for the storage of EVMs and other election materials.
To encourage voter participation, the BMC has introduced several initiatives, including decorated polling stations, pink booths, selfie points, media facilitation centres, and special assistance for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
With IANS inputs