Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Jan 15: Most of the exit polls have projected a big win for the BJP-led Mahayuti, with Uddhav and Raj Thackeray’s alliance at second spot and Congress trailing at third. The voting has concluded for the Maharashtra civic polls across 29 municipal corporations, including the prestigious Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), on Thursday evening.
The crucial BMC polls in Mumbai was marred with allegations that the ink used on voters’ fingers could be easily wiped off using acetone, a claim that made rounds on the internet and led several opposition leaders to attack the BJP government. The poll body meanwhile issued a statement, dismissing the concerns that a voter could vote twice and also ordered an inquiry into the incident.
The exit polls estimate that the north and south Indians voters in Mumbai have voted overwhelmingly for the BJP. As is almost the current norm, young voters and the women have also sided with the BJP too.
Several Mumbaikars complained of difficulties in exercising their franchise for the civic polls, including change in polling booths and name location on physical electoral rolls. Even election staff and party functionaries, on the other side of the poll process, found common ground with the segment of disgruntled voters, with many claiming the list given to them had poorly printed photographs, making verification tiresome.
Many voters said their polling booths of years had been changed or merged without adequate prior information, while some were seen running around from one helpdesk to another trying to find their names on the rolls. Several polls stations across the country’s financial capital were witness to such commotion, especially during the morning hours.
Voting for the 29 corporations, including BMC, began at 7:30 AM on Thursday morning, and the votes will be counted on January 16.
In the capital city, Mumbai, voting was held for all the 227 seats with approximately 1,700 candidates in the fray. Uddhav Thackeray has stated that the state election commissioner, Dinesh Waghmare, should be suspended as he is openly siding with the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
The undivided Shiv Sena was a strong force in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. It won 84 seats contesting in alliance with the BJP, which won 82 seats. However, the tables have turned this time following Shiv Sena’s split in 2022. For the Thackeray brothers, Raj and Uddhav, these local body polls are a fight for regaining lost prestige. It will also test if the Thackeray surname still carries as much weight as it once did in the city and the state.
The BMC elections have been held after a nearly three-year delay. The elections for the BMC, the richest in Asia with a budget equal to a small state, was held last in 2017, when the united Shiv Sena – which had been controlling it for decades, retained its grip. Eight years and a split in Sena could bring about a sea change in the politics over the august body.
