'Come Out, Cast Your Votes': Voters Call For Participation As Mumbai Civic Polls Underway, 7% Turnout

Mumbai: As polling got underway on Thursday in 29 municipal corporations of Maharashtra, voters across Mumbai and other cities turned up at polling stations to exercise their franchise, with participation seen from first-time voters, senior citizens, and families. So far, the country's largest municipality has recorded 7% voter turnout, as of 9 am.

Voting began at 7:30 am today, with people queuing at their respective polling booths. A total of 1,700 candidates are set to contest the polls in Mumbai.

At the Pali-Chimbai Municipal School polling station in Mumbai, long queues of voters were observed, reflecting public engagement in the civic electoral process.

Citizens are keen to make their voices heard in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.

A first-time voter, Purvi, 22, expressed her excitement after casting her ballot. "I am 22 years old. This is the first time I am casting my vote. My message for the youth is to come out and cast their votes in large numbers. I am casting my vote, keeping in mind that the government should provide good facilities for the people," she told ANI.

However, not all voters were able to cast their votes without difficulty. A Mumbaikar reported discrepancies in voter information. "The number we found on the internet does not match here. This is organisational failure... I have to go without casting my vote," he said.

Families and senior citizens also participated actively. After voting, one woman said, “We should all come out and cast our votes for the future of Maharashtra. I came here along with my family to cast our votes at 7:30 AM.”

An 83-year-old woman arrived at a polling station in Mumbai to exercise her democratic right, while visuals showed another elderly voter arriving at a booth.

Post-voting, a Mumbaikar highlighted voter expectations from the elected representatives.

"There are a lot of issues, now it is on them (the winning party) what they want to do... The public's job is to choose their candidate; we just want the nation to be kept safe," he told ANI.

Meanwhile, to ensure maximum voter participation, the Maharashtra government has declared January 15 a public holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act. The holiday applies to all government and semi-government offices, corporations, and banks within the jurisdiction of the 29 corporations going to the polls.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is contesting the BMC elections in alliance with Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Meanwhile, the National Congress Party, which is part of Mahayuti in the state and the NDA in the Centre, has joined hands with the NCP (SP) in key municipal corporations, including Pimpri-Chinchwad and Pune.

The prominent civic bodies going to polls include Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Ulhasnagar, Kalyan-Dombivli, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar, Panvel, Nashik, Malegaon, Ahilyanagar, Jalgaon, Dhule, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Solapur, Kolhapur, Ichalkaranji, Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nanded-Waghala, Parbhani, Jalna, Latur, Amravati, Akola, Nagpur and Chandrapur.
The last BMC election was held in February 2017. Currently, the posts of deputy mayor and mayor are vacant.

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