Mumbai: Voting for elections to 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra began on Thursday morning, with Mumbai emerging as the key battleground. The contest for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), India’s largest and wealthiest civic body, has attracted intense attention as the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance faces a strong challenge from the reunited Thackeray cousins.
Polling started at 7.30 am amid tight security arrangements and will continue until 5.30 pm. Across the state, voters are electing representatives for 2,869 seats spread over 893 wards. As many as 3.48 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots, while 15,931 candidates are in the fray.
In Mumbai alone, 1,700 candidates are contesting for 227 seats in the BMC, whose annual budget exceeds ₹74,400 crore. These elections are being held after a nine-year gap, following a delay of nearly four years. To ensure smooth conduct of polling, over 25,000 police personnel have been deployed across the city.
Unlike Mumbai, most other municipal corporations in the state have multi-member wards. Counting of votes for all civic bodies is scheduled for January 16.
Meanwhile, the polling process sparked controversy after several videos circulated on social media showing indelible ink marks on voters’ fingers allegedly being wiped off using acetone. The issue gained traction after Mumbai Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Varsha Gaikwad shared a video of a party colleague removing the ink.
In a post on X, Gaikwad questioned the credibility of the election process, alleging lapses such as last-minute inducements to voters, missing names on voter lists, website glitches affecting access to electoral information, and the ease with which ink marks could be removed.
Responding to the claims, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation dismissed the allegations, stating that reports of indelible ink being easily wiped off were factually incorrect. Civic authorities maintained that adequate measures were in place to ensure free, fair and transparent elections.
The outcome of the BMC polls is expected to have significant political implications, given Mumbai’s economic importance and the high-profile rivalry shaping this year’s civic contest.
