Maharashtra civic polls: Mumbai disappoints, moderate turn-out

Around 54% of about 2.02 crore electorate today exercised their franchise for polls in 10 municipal corporations of Maharashtra, including the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

In Mumbai, only 46% of the 1.02 crore voters cast ballots, despite the state government declaring a public holiday today.

State Election Commissioner Neela Satyanarayan expressed concern about the low turn-out.

In the last three civic polls, over half the electorate in Mumbai did not exercise their franchise, with the voting percentage ranging between 42 and 46%. In 2007 polls, only 46% had voted.

The voting percentages in other nine cities today were as follows: Thane (52%), Ulhasnagar (43%), Nashik (58%), Pune (53%), Pimpri-Chinchwad (56%), Solapur (58%), Akola (57%), Nagpur (55%) and Amravati (58%).

Billed as a mini-assembly election, the polls will test the political acumen and charisma of not only Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, but also Shiv Sena patriarch Bal Thackeray and his son Uddhav Thackeray.

While the Sena is desperately trying to extend its 16-year rule in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for another five years in alliance with BJP and Ramdas Athavale's RPI, the Congress has stitched up an alliance with NCP for the first time for the civic body polls.

The counting will start tomorrow morning, and results would be out by the afternoon.

Besides Shahrukh, scriptwriter Salim Khan and his son Arbaaz Khan, film-makers Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra, Madhur Bhandarkar; Anupam Kher, Pritish Nandy, Kailash Kher, Dia Mirza, Sonali Bendre, Pooja Bedi, Shakti Kapoor, Boman Irani, Rajat Kapoor, Celina Jaitely, Divya Dutta and Tisca Chopra were among those who exercised their franchise.

Lyricist Gulzar, who duly arrived at the polling station to cast the vote, was disappointed to find out that his name was missing from the voters' list.

BJP candidate from ward 41 in Mumbai, Vinod Shelar, lodged a complaint against Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam, who, he alleged, illegally entered a polling booth.

A 55-year-old identified as Lalmani Vishwakarma collapsed and died while in a queue at the polling booth at Yograj Vidyalaya in Saki Naka, in ward number 154.

BMC commissioner Subodh Kumar said that S-ward recorded the highest polling at 55.05%, while A-ward registered the lowest polling at 34.15%.

Mumbai's polling record this time was slightly better than 2007, he added.