BMC elections 2026: Mumbai records 52.94 per cent voter turnout, down from 2017

A voter turnout of 5294 per cent was recorded in the Mumbai civic polls down from 5553 per cent in the last elections in 2017 officials said on FridayAccording to data released by the civic body ward number 114 in suburban Bhandup recorded the highest turnout at 6453 per cent while ward number 227 in south Mumbais Colaba area reported the lowest turnout at 2088 per centOf the over 103 crore eligible voters in the metropolis 5294 per cent exercised their franchise on Thursday between 730 am and 530 pm they saidOver 15 hours after the polling the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC has declared the final voter turnoutOfficials said counting of votes will start at 10 am at 25 designated counting centres across MumbaiThe turnout on Thursday showed a steady rise with 698 per cent voting till 930 am 1773 per cent till 1130 am 2996 per cent till 130 pm and 4108 per cent till 330 pm officials saidThe election to the 227member BMC which governs Indias richest municipal corporation with a budget of Rs 74400 crore is being held after a long gap making it a key political contest Nearly 1700 candidates are in the fray this timeThe last BMC polls were held in 2017 with a voter turnout of 5553 per cent and the term of the elected body ended in March 2022BMC Election Results 2026 LIVE Wardwise and Partywise Counting UpdatesComplaints galore of missing names clueless voters searching for changed polling stationsMeanwhile elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC on Thursday held after nine years witnessed numerous complaints of electoral roll discrepancies missing names and mismatches between online records and physical voter lists leading to confusion and delaysElection staff and workers of political parties involved in the process too echoed voters grievances with many claiming that voter lists provided to them carried poorly printed photographs making verification difficult and timeconsumingSenior citizens and disabled voters faced problems due to the absence of volunteers to assist them inadequate signage missing booth numbers on voter slips and a lack of guidance at polling centresSeveral voters as well as opposition leaders including MNS chief Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray alleged that the indelible ink used during the polling could be easily wiped off using sanitiser acetone or even water raising concerns about the possibility of impersonation or multiple votingSome voters complained that although there was no official ban on carrying mobile phones inside polling stations provided they were switched off police did not allow them to enter with their phones At some polling stations posters stating that mobile phones were not allowed were also seenIn several instances voters reported that details displayed on the election commissions official app and websites did not match the printed lists available at polling boothsMany voters said their polling booths which had remained unchanged for years were either shifted or merged without adequate prior notice forcing them to go from one help desk to another in search of their names