Only 1 in 5 voters turn out in upmarket Colaba, lowest in BMC polls

Mumbai: While the long-awaited BMC election saw Mumbaikars come out in vigour to exercise their franchise, a ward in the upscale Colaba area recorded a dismal turnout of 20.88 per cent, keeping up its tradition of muted participation in past polls.

According to final polling data, civic ward 227, which covers parts of Colaba, logged 20.88 per cent turnout, the lowest among Mumbai's 227 civic wards.

The civic ward was unable to manage even half of Mumbai's overall voter turnout of 52.94 per cent, which means only 9,614 residents of the total 46,036 exercised their franchise.

The other two wards in the upmarket area — 226 and 225 — recorded a turnout of 50.69 per cent and 45.59 per cent respectively.

Incidentally, Maharashtra assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar's brother, BJP candidate Makarand Narwekar, the richest candidate in the elections, contested from ward 226, while his relative, Gauravi Shivalkar Narwekar, was fielded in ward 227.

Colaba, which largely falls under civic wards 225, 226 and 227, is one of Mumbai's most diverse localities, comprising Marathi-speaking families, Parsis, Muslims, Christians and Sindhis, as well as defence personnel, owing to the presence of naval establishments.

The area boasts of heritage precincts and upscale residences that coexist alongside older housing colonies and chawls, shaping distinct civic concerns.

Ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections in September 2024, the Election Commission of India had raised concerns about voter apathy in Colaba.

Former Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar had at the time highlighted low turnout in urban areas such as Colaba and Kalyan West, and pointed out the stark disparity between these constituencies and Naxal-hit Gadchiroli and Chhattisgarh's Bastar, which recorded turnout of 78 per cent and 68 per cent, respectively, in the last polls.

Civic ward 227, which stretches from the Electric House to the southernmost tip of Mumbai, houses wealthy businessmen and several defence personnel, and it is also home to the famous Sassoon Dock, the BEST undertaking's headquarters, the IMD office, TIFR, and the Indian Navy's hospital INS Ashwini, along with iconic religious places such as the Afghan Church.