Navi Mumbai Leads MMR Civic Polls with 58% Voter Turnout, Thane Follows at 54%
The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NNMC) and Panvel recorded the highest voter turnout, estimated at 58%, in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) civic body polls. This significant turnout is a notable increase from the 49% recorded in the last NNMC elections held a decade ago in 2015. Several other MMR corporations, including Vasai-Virar and Kalyan-Dombivli, also saw slightly higher turnouts than in previous civic polls, according to estimates provided on Thursday night. However, Bhiwandi and Ulhasnagar appeared to see reduced turnout.
In Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s bastion of Thane, turnout was around 54%. However, polling across several wards in the city was marred by allegations of bogus voting, delays, and technical glitches. Complaints about missing names from electoral rolls, changes in polling stations, difficulty in navigating the multi-panel voting system, and snags in electronic voting machines were reported throughout the day. Several voters said they left the booths without casting their ballots due to delays.
Thane voters also complained about the quality of the ‘indelible ink’, which they said could be wiped off with plain water or spit. Elsewhere, voters alleged that buttons corresponding to candidates, particularly independents and Shiv Sena rebels, were not functioning at a few booths. In Naupada, independent candidate Kiran Nakti said he verified such complaints after supporters alerted him. Similar grievances were raised by a Sena rebel in Ward 4 and by the lone challenger to a Sena candidate in Vartak Nagar. In Kajuwada, polling was briefly halted after ballot units were found to be incorrectly arranged, resuming only after they were reset. Former mayor H.S. Patil said voting was suspended for nearly an hour in Nalpada after residents complained of bogus voting. Voter D Shetty from Louiswadi also complained of someone else voting in his name.
Voter turnout was relatively low until early afternoon in Kalyan-Dombivli (KDMC), Ulhasnagar, and Bhiwandi-Nizampur municipal corporations, but later picked up. In KDMC, turnout was estimated at 52.11% for the 122 seats, up three percent from 2015. To reduce long queues, the civic agency there had set up polling booths in schools as well as housing complex carparks. In KDMC Panel No. 29, extra police were deployed following clashes between workers of the competing BJP and Sena parties in recent days. Police were seen turning back vehicles reportedly coming from Badlapur to prevent any untoward incidents. Polling was peaceful.
In Vasai-Virar, where turnout was 55%, there were complaints of bogus voting and EVM machines not working at some booths. Across Naigaon, Vasai, Nalasopara, and Virar, several voters were unable to find their names on the electoral rolls, creating frustration. Similar issues were also reported by MiraBhayandar Municipal Corporation, where turnout was around 50%. In Virar East’s Shirgaon polling center, EVMs were non-functional for about 30 minutes. Similar disruptions were reported at Tarkanagar in Vasai East (40 minutes), and Girij and Umelman in Vasai West, where EVMs reportedly remained non-functional for close to two hours. As a result, voters there faced long queues. Adding to the challenge, many had not received their voting slips, making it hard for them to locate their polling booths. In several cases, one family member found themselves registered to vote at one booth while other family members were assigned to another booth.
