Mumbai’s BMC along with 28 other municipal corporations in Maharashtra recorded 50 percent polling on Thursday, amid a major controversy over allegations that the ink applied on voters’ fingers could be easily removed!
Speaking shortly after voting ended at 5.30 pm, Maharashtra Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare said the turnout in the 29 civic bodies was in the 46-50 per cent range. The exact polling figures will be declared later, another official said.
Mumbai’s BMC election voter turnout was 41.08% as of 3:30 pm, with polling beginning at 7 am and concluding at 5:30 pm. The turnout was slow in the early hours, with 6.98% voting by 9:30 am, increasing to 17.73% by 11:30 am and 29.96% by 1:30 pm. Over 1.03 crore voters were eligible to elect 227 corporators, with 1,700 candidates contesting the elections.
Highest turnout could be witnessed in Ward No. 112 in Bhandup West (41%), while the lowest turnout was recorded in Ward No. 227 in Fort (11.24%) with the total voters being 1.03 crore for 1700 candidates: 1,700.
The counting of votes will take place on January 16, with results expected by late evening.
Comparison with previous BMC Elections
In Mumbai, after almost three years without elected civic leaders, a major political battle will be witnessed between the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance and the united Thackeray front to gain control over the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The BMC elections of January 15 represent a high-stakes battle for control over India’s richest civic body, boasting a budget exceeding Rs 74,000 crore.
Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections have been delayed since 2017. In the 2017 elections, the polling percentage in Mumbai was 55.53, while the average voting figure in 26 corporations – elections were held for the first time in Jalna and Ichalkaranji municipal corporations – was 56.35 per cent.
On Thursday, the spotlight was on Mumbai, where the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance was locked in an intense battle with the reunited Thackeray cousins for control of India’s largest and richest civic body. In the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), whose annual budget is over Rs 74,400 crore, there were 1,700 candidates in the arena for 227 seats in the elections held after nine years, after a four-year delay.
More than 25,000 police personnel were deployed across Mumbai to oversee elections. Polling for 2,869 seats across 893 wards in the 29 civic bodies began at 7.30 am and concluded at 5.30 pm. A total of 3.48 crore voters were eligible to decide the fate of 15,931 candidates.
Except for Mumbai, the 28 other urban bodies have multi-member wards. Vote count will begin at 10 am on January 16.
BMC Election 2026 Ink controversy
As voting began on Thursday morning across Mumbai, social media was flooded with videos of ordinary voters, politicians, and some mediapersons using Acetone to wipe off the ‘indelible’ ink on their fingers after voting! There have been allegations that the indelible ink is used to mark voters’ fingers can be easily wiped off, potentially allowing for bogus voting.
Opposition leaders, including Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray, claimed that the ink could be removed using sanitizers, acetone, or nail polish removers, raising concerns about the integrity of the electoral process. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray claimed irregularities in the civic polls, terming it an attempt to murder democracy, and urged voters to dislodge the “brutal, fraud, corrupt and dictatorial regime ” of the BJP.
Uddhav and his cousin Raj Thackeray, who heads the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, targeted the State Election Commission over a range of issues, besides claiming that the ink used on voters’ fingers could easily be erased. Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Uddhav demanded the suspension of Maharashtra Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare and alleged collusion between the poll body and the government.
Ink applied to fingers with marker pens after casting vote in the municipal corporation elections can be removed easily and lead to bogus voting, Maharashtra minister Sanjay Shirsat said. “It is true that the ink of marker pen is getting removed easily. There is a possibility of bogus voting at some places due to this. Polling agents and officials should pay strict attention to this,” he told reporters.
Some voters also reported issues with finding their polling booths due to missing booth numbers on official voter slips, adding to the controversy.
The Election Commission of Maharashtra dismissed these allegations, stating that the ink used is the same as in previous elections and that it shouldn’t come off easily. The Commission also warned that attempting to wipe off the ink is a serious offense and would lead to strict action.
After casting his vote in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) elections, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “I have also been marked with a marker, is it erasing? Creating a ruckus on everything and raising questions is wrong.”
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