Mumbai: Mumbai city registered a voter turnout of 41.32% till 3.30pm on Tuesday in the ongoing elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporations (BMC), as per an update by the state election commission. With only two hours left for voting till 5.30pm, Mumbai is likely to improve its 2012 turnout of 44.75%.
At several polling booths in Mumbai, voters told television news channels and reporters that the practice of keeping master voters’ list was not followed this time around, depriving many voters of their franchise.
Other cities in Maharashtra where civic elections are being held also reported more than 40% polling till 3.30pm.
Akola city in Vidarbha registered highest turnout of 46.3% till 3.30pm. Thane near Mumbai recorded a turnout of 45% till 3.30pm in the civic election. The city of Pimpri-Chinchwad reported 43.8% polling followed by 43% polling in Pune city. Nashik and Solapur registered a turnout of 43.33% and 43% in their civic elections till 3.30pm.
Also read | BMC civic polls 2017 live: Voter turnout at 41.32% by 3.30pm in Mumbai
Nagpur, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s hometown where he voted, saw only 41% polling till 3.30pm. Amravati, another city in Vidarbha where municipal polls are being held, reported only 42.3% polling.
Railway minister Suresh Prabhu, union transport minister Nitin Gadkari, and minister for environment Prakash Javdekar cast their votes in Mumbai, Nagpur, and Pune respectively. Union minister of state for social welfare Ramdas Athavle also took part in the polling in Mumbai.
BJP MP and actor Hema Malini, film stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Rekha, Ranbir Singh, John Abraham, and a host of other celebrities participated in polling in Mumbai.
As per a press release issued by the state election commission, in the elections to 11 zilla parishads (district councils) in Maharashtra, Sindhudurg district in Konkan reported the highest turnout of 45.27% till 1.30pm followed 44.67% in Gadchiroli district in far eastern Vidarbha.
Interestingly, the Naxals in Gadchiroli district had announced a boycott of polls and asked people not to participate. Raigad district in Konkan region reported a turnout of 44.58% till 1.30pm. Kolhapur district reported 43.59% turnout followed by Satara district with 42.23%, Pune district with 39.68%, and Sangli with 38.28% in the zilla parishad polls.
Ratnagiri district in Konkan saw a turnout of 38.56% and Nashik district registered 34.33% polling. Amravati district recorded 32.02% polling in zilla parishad election till 1.30pm.
