Maharashtra Civic Poll Results Today: EC to Declare Winners, BMC Outcome Likely Late

Mumbai: The election results of 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra will be declared on Friday. Among these, Mumbai's Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is the most discussed. According to the State Election Commission, counting of votes will start at 10 am.

In these elections, voting was held on January 15 for 2,869 seats in 893 wards of the state. Apart from Mumbai, everyone's eyes are also on big cities like Pune, Thane, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Kalyan-Dombivli, Mira-Bhayander, Ulhasnagar, and Navi Mumbai.

Why is there so much political noise regarding elections this time?

This time the contest is being considered special because many political equations have changed. Old allies have parted ways, and once opposing parties have come together.

The Thackeray family's cousins, ​​Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray, who were doing politics separately for years, were now seen together in the municipal elections. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar also contested the elections in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad along with his uncle Sharad Pawar's party, while his party is included in the state government alliance.

What was the situation on the day of voting?

Voting began at 7:30 am on Thursday and continued till 5:30 pm. According to the State Election Commission, the total voting percentage was between 46 and 50 percent.

The highest voting was recorded in Kolhapur, whereas in Mumbai this figure was relatively low and reached around 41 percent. At many places, voters also complained of long queues and difficulty in finding booths.

Why was there a controversy regarding ink?

Another issue was in discussion on the election day. Some voters and leaders alleged that the ink applied on the finger was easily erased. Some leaders, including Uddhav Thackeray, said that the mark is being removed with hand sanitizer, which raises questions on the transparency of the elections. Its videos also surfaced on social media.

What are the exit polls indicating?

Many exit polls have shown the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance gaining an edge, especially in Mumbai BMC. According to some surveys, this alliance can win more than 130 seats. Whereas the alliance of Uddhav Thackeray faction's Shiv Sena, MNS and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) may remain at the second position. Congress's performance is being said to be limited.

Why is there a possibility of delay in counting?

This time the counting of votes in Mumbai BMC will be done in phases. First the postal ballots will be counted, then counting of wards will take place in different phases. Like before, all the wards will not be counted simultaneously, so it may take some time to get the results.

Who will everyone's eyes be on next?

The results coming today will decide who comes to power in Mumbai and other big cities. This can show not only the municipal elections but also the mood of the upcoming assembly and Lok Sabha elections.