Maharashtra Municipal Elections: Vote Counting Underway Amid Controversy

Vote Counting Commences in Maharashtra's Municipal Elections

Mumbai: The counting of votes for 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the pivotal Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), commenced at 10 a.m. on Friday.

This process is taking place at various counting centers in major cities such as Mumbai, Pune, and Thane, all under strict security measures.

Initial trends from postal ballots and the first rounds of electronic voting machine (EVM) counting are anticipated to be available between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Given the 'phased counting' approach and the high number of candidates—over 1,700 in Mumbai alone—official results for many wards may not be finalized until late in the evening.

The State Election Commission (SEC) has reported a commendable voter turnout, often indicative of a desire for change or a divided electorate.

In the BMC, a turnout of 52.94% was recorded, with Bhandup leading at 64.53% and Colaba trailing at 20.88%. Other municipalities reported Pune (54%), Pimpri-Chinchwad (58%), and Kolhapur (70%).

The counting process began amidst allegations of irregularities. Both Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray of MNS claimed that 'indelible' marker pens were used instead of traditional ink, which they argued could be easily erased to enable fraudulent voting.

The SEC has refuted these allegations, asserting that the ink requires time to dry, and has initiated an investigation following concerns about the removal of indelible ink.

Originally, elections were set for 2,869 seats, including 227 in the BMC, but were conducted for 2,801 seats as 68 candidates were elected unopposed.

Approximately 3.48 crore voters cast their ballots for 15,931 candidates, including 1,729 in Mumbai.

The elections spanned various regions, including Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Navi Mumbai, and others, marking the first municipal elections in over six years, as the previous terms ended between 2020 and 2023. Nine of these corporations are located in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), India's most densely populated area.

A victory for the BJP-led Mahayuti in the BMC and other corporations is vital for establishing a cohesive governance model in these civic bodies.

Conversely, the Thackeray brothers face significant challenges in maintaining their political unity moving forward.