50% voting in Maharashtra civic polls; ink row leaves 'indelible' mark, SEC orders probe

Mumbai (PTI): Around 50 per cent polling was recorded in Mumbai and 28 other municipal corporations in Maharashtra on Thursday amid sporadic clashes, while a major controversy erupted over claims that the ink applied on voters' fingers could be easily removed.

The polling day saw clashes among groups, allegations of bogus voting and distribution of cash as well as glitches in EVMs.

Speaking shortly after voting ended at 5.30 pm, State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare said the turnout in the 29 civic bodies was in the 46 per cent-50 per cent range. The exact polling figures will be declared later, another official said.

Vote count will begin at 10 am on Friday.

As per official data, 41.08 per cent of the eligible voters had cast their ballots in Mumbai, which has more than 1 crore electors, till 3.30 pm. The data data showed that ward no 114 in suburban Bhandup recorded the highest turnout at 53.34 per cent, while ward no 227 in Colaba, South Mumbai, reported the lowest turnout of 15.73 per cent till 3.30 pm.

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 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, including 1,700 in Mumbai.

Except for Mumbai, the 28 other urban bodies have multi-member wards.

The BMC elections faced significant delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Supreme Court rulings on OBC reservations, and issues related to ward delimitation.

The last BMC polls were held in 2017. The term of the corporators ended on 7 March 2022, and subsequent elections could not be held in time, resulting in the civic body being placed under an administrator.

As voting commenced, social media was flooded with videos of ordinary voters, politicians, and some mediapersons using Acetone to wipe off the ‘indelible’ ink applied on their fingers after voting.

The State Election Commission (SEC), however, rejected the allegations and warned of acting against those propagating such claims.

In the evening, the SEC said it would conduct a thorough probe into the quality of the `indelible' ink in marker pens used for the polls, after Opposition leaders alleged that the mark on a voter's finger could be removed easily, enabling bogus voting.

Speaking to PTI, State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare said in view of the controversy, the SEC will not use marker pens for the Zilla Parishad elections scheduled on February 5.

Instead, for the ZP polls, the poll panel will revert to the traditional ink -- produced by Mysore Paints and Varnish Ltd, a Karnataka government company -- used in assembly and Lok Sabha elections, said the IAS officer.

"The SEC has decided to conduct a probe.....it will cover not only the ink quality but also the videos which were circulated throughout the day. The probe into videos is to ascertain whether the ink was applied on the finger while voting or in a mischievous way," Waghmare said.

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 SEC over a range of issues, besides claiming that the ink used on voters' fingers could easily be erased.

Addressing a news conference, Uddhav demanded the suspension of Waghmare, and alleged collusion between the poll body and the government.

Terming the SEC an anti-constitutional body, Uddhav said, “Never ever such things (alleged irregularities) have happened before”, and said the ink used by the poll commission could be erased using hand sanitisers.

Raj targeted the SEC over the use of the Printing Auxiliary Display Unit (PADU) in the civic polls.

The SEC did not even bother to give any clarification on the use of PADU and extended the canvassing time to allow distribution of money (by ruling parties), he alleged.

Raj Thackeray claimed that the SEC is using a new pen, due to which the markings on the voter's fingers disappeared.

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.”

A host of Bollywood personalities, including Akshay Kumar, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan, stepped out of their homes and voted in the Mumbai civic body polls with the hope that the "right" candidates will win and tackle crucial issues, from infrastructure challenges to pollution.

Actors Hema Malini, Saira Banu, Shabana Azmi, John Abraham, Ranbir Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Vicky Kaushal, Janhvi Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Kartik Aaryan, Paresh Rawal and screenwriter Salim Khan, also exercised their franchise.

'Khiladi' actor Kumar, one of the first to arrive at his designated polling booth, underscored the significance of making informed voting choices rather than merely expressing grievances about civic issues. The superstar encouraged Mumbaikars to perceive this day as an opportunity to wield their "remote control" over public representatives.

"All the people of Mumbai must come out and vote, rather than complaining later about things like 'we don't have water, roads are not proper, and that there's no cleanliness, etc'. So, now it's our turn and we all should step out and vote for the right person. If you want to be the real hero of Mumbai, then instead of (mouthing) dialogues, come and vote, Kumar told reporters after casting his vote.

Aamir Khan encouraged citizens to partake in the elections and lauded the BMC for making "good arrangements" at polling booths.

Ranbir Kapoor, too, praised the civic body for providing great facilities to voters during elections and even during festivities like Ganesh Chaturthi.

"We complain throughout the year saying, 'our city doesn't have this or that, and talk all the time about issues', so this is your time to come and vote, the 43-year-old 'Raajneeti' actor stated.

Actor-politician and BJP MP Hema Malini emphasised that it's essential to vote for the right candidate to ensure a "cleaner, safer, and pothole-free" Mumbai.

Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar arrived with his wife, Anjali Tendulkar, and daughter, Sara Tendulkar, to cast his vote at the Pali-Chimbai Municipal School in Bandra.

After casting his vote in Nagpur, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat highlighted the importance of citizen participation in a democratic setup.

Bhagwat said, "In a democratic setup, voting is needed to elect the government, and hence it is the duty of every citizen to vote.” Sporadic glitches in EVMs were reported during Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) polls, but election officials said replacement machines were promptly installed as per procedure.

NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar said some incidents of EVMs shutting down were reported at the start of polling in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad municipal corporations.

Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad alleged large-scale misuse of money and power by the ruling BJP-led alliance in the BMC elections.

Dhule in North Maharashtra witnessed civic poll violence, including two groups scuffling and damaging an EVM and a mob attacking the residence of a Shiv Sena leader, police said.

The residence of Shiv Sena's Dhule district chief Manoj More at Krushi Colony in Deopur was attacked by 20 persons, an official said.

The mob barged into More's house, pelted stones and damaged vehicles, allegedly over a dispute between him and BJP's Vilas Shinde on withdrawing candidature, the official added.

Defying age and inspiring many, a 98-year-old former school teacher cast her vote in Thane, proving that duty to democracy knows no barriers.

Leela Shrotri, a resident of Parmar House at Tembhi Naka in Thane and the great-grandmother of actor Pushkar Shrotri, left onlookers in awe of her unwavering enthusiasm as she arrived at a polling booth at a school to cast her vote.