India General Elections 2024: EC mess tempers Mumbai’s spirit

Citizens in Mumbai faced major inconveniences due to long queues with many waiting for hours to vote without shelter shade or water Glitches with EVM machines led to crowding and chaos at many polling booths The voting process was disrupted by several issues with the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail VVPAT and Electronic Voting Machines EVM causing significant delays and frustration among votersMulundA faulty VVPAT was found in Mulund during the early hours of the election process The Election Commission replaced it and a clarification statement from the Mumbai suburban district collectors office regarding the issue stated Clarification of the Election System the voting process is going on smoothly Initially there was some malfunction in the VVPAT machine After it was immediately rectified the voting process started smoothly againLocal residents gathered in large numbers at St Johnrsquos Convent High School polling booth in Mumbra PicSatej ShindeMankhurdYet another faulty VVPAT machine was found in Mankhurd in the early hours causing a huge line and stranded voters at the booth The Election Commission promptly replaced the machine An official statement stated The VVPAT machine has been replaced Voting process is smooth againPowaiAn EVM machine in Powai malfunctioned causing long waits and frustration among voters Actor Aadesh Bandekar shared a video of the chaos on Instagram Senior citizens were especially upset after waiting four hours only to be told the EVM wasnt working The election commission quickly replaced the machine The suburban election office confirmed The EVM machine has been replaced and voting has resumed smoothly Returning Officer Sonali Mule added that extra officers were sent to manage the crowd ensuring everyone present by 6 pm would be allowed to voteLocal residents gathered in large numbers at St Johns Convent High School polling booth in MumbraBhandupIn Bhandup voting at Khindipada Omega High School was disrupted by a power cut causing a 30minute delay The suburban district election office stated Power supply has been restored and voting has resumedBorivliA faulty VVPAT machine at Don Bosco High School in Borivli caused a nearly 2hour wait Voters argued with officials and police complaining about the lack of information and water One voter said You make us wait for hours and then say turnout is lowCISF officials trying to control the crowd in MumbraChaos at Borivlis Kora Kendra polling station led to over threehour waits Many voters left without voting frustrated by the slow process Polling booth 195 was particularly affected with each person taking two to three hours to vote Officials declined to commentVedant Jadhav 22 a firsttime voter from Chikoo Wadi in Borivli described his voting experience as discouraging The experience was so bad it might discourage any firsttime voter from returning next time he said He arrived at 930 am and didnt leave until 200 pm The water dispenser ran out causing further inconvenienceCrowd standing in long queue to vote at Don Bosco School in Borivli PicsSatej ShindeAnother voter Talakchand Dedhia complained about the lack of information and facilities saying There was no proper facility for the voters At least they should inform us about the delayJVPD SchemeVoting at Jamnabai Narsee School had mixed experiences according to Hariram Gupta 90 and his wife Chanchal 81 They noted issues with wheelchair accessibility signage and parking causing confusion especially for seniors However they praised the swift wellorganised process inside with ample seating and helpful staff Despite the challenges Hariram chose to walk to the booth and vote enthusiasticallyOvercrowding no beepGovandi including Shivaji Nagar is one of Mumbais poorest areas home to many Dalits Muslims and OBCs Shamshuddin Mehmood Khan a 52yearold rickshaw driver was disappointed by the long lines at the polling booth Officers are working slowly on purpose Most people here have daily wages They dont want us to vote he claimedKhan expressed his mistrust in the election process saying There have been many instances where the election commission failed They released voter turnout data late Citizens are watching everythingAt Jafri English School police admitted the long wait times but blamed narrow lanes Small schools seem overcrowded and we have to ensure people dont bring bags or phones inside said a police officerJaved Khan 48 voted at 1030 am and noticed an issue with the voting machine There was no beep after I pressed the button but my choice appeared on the VVPAT he saidAnother elderly voter was asked to make a new voting card because his old one wasnt found online We are not sending anyone away we asked him to wait while we manually search the voter list said an officialSion Pratiksha NagarAt the Sion Pratiksha Nagar polling station voters endured long queues and delays Firsttime voter Mridula Sanjay Ranjit fainted from the heat before casting her vote at the Eklavya Education Sadhana Sanchalit Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil English SchoolI was excited to vote for the first time but fainted after waiting for over two hours she said Mridula suggested authorities make the voting process smoother On Monday afternoon midday observed continued inconvenience and long queues with voters complaining about slow voting processesKharIn this constituency voters stood in queues all morning to cast their votes Some places faced issues like missing names and slow voting causing long lines At a polling station in Khar West chaos erupted as many voters found their names missing One frustrated voter said More than 60 people couldnt vote because their names werent on the list This is unacceptable Officials did nothingSajid Ahmed Badguzar a resident of Santacruz Kheera Nagar said I was shocked to find my name missing when I went to vote When I asked why officials had no answer Many faced this issue If this continues who will want to voteActress Vidya Malavade faced voting issues in the Bandra constituency In a social media video she expressed frustration saying ldquoWaited for 3 hours with my elderly parents My name wasnrsquot on the list despite filling forms Even with my Aadhar Card I couldnrsquot vote No update on my voter ID from the election commissionrdquoJune 4Day of results06No of LS seats in Mumbai