BMC election results out today; stakes high for Sena and BJP India blames China for lack of consensus on Jaish chief

WAIT FOR VERDICT Voter turnout rise in both parties’ strongholds points to close contest: Experts

The city turned out in large numbers to vote in Tuesday’s civic polls in areas dominated by the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). But this does not give either party an edge over the other. In fact, what lies ahead is a tough fight between the friendsturned-foes.

The increase in the percentage of voter turnout as compared to the 2012 BMC polls is also not an indicator of a clear trend. Reason: The voters’ list has been substantially downsized since 2012.

Although the voter turnout jumped to 55.53%, as compared to 44.75 % in 2012, the voters’ list shrunk to 91.8 lakh from 1.02 crore. The actual number of voters this election were just 4.94 lakh more than in 2012.

Deepak Pawar, a faculty member of the department of politics in the Mumbai University, said, “Usually, a significant jump in voter turnout means the irregular voter, tired of the current system, has voted, which translates into a strong anti-incumbency vote. But in this case, with the absolute number of voters having barely changed, anti-incumbency is definitely not the case.”

He said with the fight being cutthroat and one of prestige for both the Sena and the BJP, both parties tried to mobilise their cadre to ensure every voter in their respective strongholds, even the reluctant ones, are made to vote. “This may have resulted in the highest spike in the wards dominated by both parties,” Pawar said.

Of the five wards that recorded the highest turnout among Mumbai’s 24 administrative wards, two have a larger Sena presence in terms of corporators, while two have more BJP corporators. SENA-BJP MAKE A COMEBACK FOR ‘THE GOOD OF MUMBAI’ SENA SPRINGS A SURPRISE, STEALS THE LEAD BJP’S DEVELOPMENT AGENDA SCORES OVER SENA SENA LEADS IN BMC AND TAKES TACIT SUPPORT OF CONGRESS

India on Wednesday dismissed China’s contention that it has not furnished enough evidence against Pakistan-based terrorist Masood Azhar, with foreign secretary S Jaishankar telling senior Chinese officials that the burden of proof is not on New Delhi.

China, a veto-wielding UN member, has blocked multiple efforts by India and other nations to sanction Azhar — a citizen of its ally Pakistan — at the world body.

The Indian official also reiterated India’s concerns on the ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, making it clear that it was a “sovereignty” issue and the basis for New Delhi’s refusal to be a part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Foreign secretary S Jaishankar with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi before a meeting in Beijing on Wednesday.

an inter-continental connectivity project floated by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Last week, China contended India is yet to provide “solid evidence” against Azhar. “Correct. There isn’t a consensus

because China hasn’t joined it,” Jaishankar said when asked about the issue. India’s understanding is that there is “overwhelming support” in the world community for its position.