Mumbai records 55% voting for BMC poll

Mumbaikars came out in large numbers to vote on Tuesday, recording a turnout of 55 per cent, the highest in the past 25 years, according to poll officials. But not everyone was able to cast their vote for the 227-member Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) poll, with as many as 1.1 million people finding their names missing from the voters’ list.

Actor Varun Dhawan found his name missing from the voters’ list; so did Shekhar Sinha, who works with a financial firm. He got into an altercation with the staff at a booth in the plush Pali Hill and police had to intervene to pacify Sinha, who couldn’t cast his vote. Haresh Verma, a collegegoing student in Mankhurd, was enthusiastic about voting for the first time, but came home disappointed.

Mumbai BJP unit chief Ashish Shelar, after casting his vote, said: “The release of list of voters got delayed and there was also a change in polling booths. All this may have had an impact on elections.” Voting for the 227 municipal wards in the BMC, with 2,275 candidates in the fray, began at 7.30 am. The polls are being seen as a referendum on Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Counting is slated for February 23. The polling will decide which party will control India’s richest civic body, with an annual budget of ~37,000 crore and deposits of ~40,000 crore.

Polling for nine other municipal corporations, 11 zilla parishads and 118 panchayat samitis also took place on Tuesday. Average polling for 10 municipal corporations including Mumbai was 56.30 per cent and for the 11 zilla parishads and 118 panchayat samitis it was at 69.43 per cent.