After a four-year wait, Mumbaikars are finally exercising their democratic right to elect their local representatives as polling for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections began on Thursday. By 11:30 am, the city had recorded a voter turnout of 17.62 percent, with voting reported to be relatively slow in several VIP localities.
The BMC elections are being held for 227 seats, with nearly 1,700 candidates in the fray. A total of 1.03 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots. The previous BMC elections were held in 2017, and the civic body’s term ended on March 7, 2022. Counting of votes and results for Mumbai, along with 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra, will take place on January 16.
Polling is underway from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm not only in Mumbai but also across major civic bodies in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, including Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Vasai-Virar, Panvel, Navi Mumbai, Ulhasnagar, Bhiwandi, and Mira-Bhayandar.
According to official figures released till 11:30 am, 10,82,171 men, 7,40,542 women, and 67 voters from other categories had cast their votes. While some wards witnessed moderate participation, overall turnout in many VIP areas remained subdued.
The elections are seen as a high-stakes political battle, with the prestige of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar on the line. On the other side, Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray are attempting a political comeback through their alliance, aiming to regain control of the country’s richest civic body.
To ensure free and fair polling, nearly 28,000 police personnel have been deployed across Mumbai, while 64,375 staff members have been appointed to conduct the elections smoothly. Across Maharashtra’s 29 municipal corporations, elections are being held for 2,869 seats, with a combined electorate of 3.48 crore voters, including 1.81 crore men, 1.66 crore women, and 4,596 voters from other categories.
Several political leaders and celebrities were seen at polling booths, urging citizens to participate actively in the democratic process. As voting continues through the day, election officials remain hopeful that turnout will pick up in the latter half of polling hours.
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