Mumbai: Polling for the much-awaited Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections gathered steady momentum on Thursday, January 15, as Mumbai voted to reconstitute its civic body after nearly four years of bureaucratic administration. Voting began at 7:30 am across the city, and by 3:30 pm, the overall voter turnout had climbed to 41.08 per cent, reflecting growing public participation as the day progressed.
More than 1.03 crore registered voters are eligible to decide the fate of 227 corporator seats, with around 1,700 candidates contesting in what is being described as one of the most politically significant civic elections in recent years.
Turnout data highlighted sharp contrasts across the city. Bhandup’s Ward No. 114 emerged as the most active, registering a turnout of 53.34 per cent by mid-afternoon. In contrast, South Mumbai’s Colaba area, Ward No. 227, reported the lowest participation at just 15.73 per cent, continuing the trend of comparatively lower voter engagement in the island city.
The day began on a slow note, with only 6.98 per cent voting recorded by 9:30 am. However, participation picked up steadily, reaching 17.73 per cent by 11:30 am and 29.96 per cent by 1:30 pm, before crossing the 40 per cent mark later in the afternoon.
Despite the rising turnout, polling was not without challenges. Early hours saw confusion in several western suburban areas, particularly in R Central and R North wards covering parts of Borivali and Dahisar. Voters complained that booth details on the official database did not match the lists available at polling stations, forcing some to visit multiple centres to locate their names.
Political tension also surfaced over concerns related to voter identification. Leaders including Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray raised objections over the ink used for marking voters’ fingers, claiming it could be erased easily and might open the door to malpractice.
Responding to the controversy, the State Election Commission clarified that any attempt to remove indelible ink deliberately or to vote more than once would attract strict legal action, warning that such acts are punishable under election laws.
