BMC Election 2017, as it happened: Polling ends, voter turnout at 55 percent in Mumbai

**BMC Election 2017: BJP need not work hard for Congress-**mukt India, party already on self-destruct mode

The results of civic body polls may not mean much from the perspective of wider politics. The trend of the outcome may be different in elections at higher levels. But they reflect strength of parties on the ground. They indicate their cadre power and capacity to find their feet after an electoral blow or two. It also is way of getting a measure of rivals. The tally in the 10 civic body polls reveals that the Congress is losing ground fast. Even the strongholds are not so anymore. Being in the same bracket as the NCP and the MNS is certainly not a happy situation.

Read from the author here .

BJP-Shiv Sena are old allies, we will find a solution: Uma Bharti

Nitish Kumar congratulates Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray

Final tally of winners in the 2017 BMC election (result in one seat not yet confirmed)

Here is the final list of winners in Mumbai civic body polls

The results of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election has surprised everyone including the Shiv Sena, which hoped to gain a clear majority. In the initial phase of the polls, BJP was leading but by the end of the counting, both the parties were neck to neck. The Shiv Sena on Thursday emerged as the single largest party in the cash-rich BMC winning 84 seats, closely followed by BJP which bagged 82 seats, as results for the 227 seats poured in. While the Shiv Sena did well in the Zilla Parishads, it suffered setbacks in the municipal corporations. Click here to access the list of all the winners so far.

Editor’s note: Firstpost couldn’t verify the names of 45 winners in the BMC election, hence their names have not been included in the list.

Elated Modi thanks Maharashtra for BJP’s performance in local body elections | ANI

BJP gets a step closer to its objective of a Congress-****mukta Bharat

Even though BJP didn’t receive a clear majority in the BMC election, its performance in the 10 municipal bodies whose results were declared on Thursday seems to have made one thing clear: it’s a step closer to achieving its objective of making a Congress-mukta Bharat. 

BJP no longer a second fiddle to regional parties: Arun Jaitley

Finance minister Arjun Jaitley is impressed with the performance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the local government elections in Odisha, Maharashtra and other states. Speaking to ANI, Jaitley said, “Since May 2014 India has seen many state and local elections. BJP has increased its vote in each of these elections.”

The BJP leader added that the BJP has done exceedingly well in Maharashtra, Haryana and Assam where it traditionally played a second fiddle to regional parties. Jaitley also mentioned the party’s performance in the local government elections in Odisha saying that “BJP is capable of winning major states on its own”. 

The minister also said that BJP has now become a pan-India party is fast spreading its wings across the country as compared to the Congress, which has been squeezed out to third or fourth place in most local body elections.

Lost a few seats by extremely narrow margins

“Even the seats that we lost were often lost by extremely narrow margins. This could have been very comfortable for us had those results gone in our favour,” rues Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray.

Uddhav Thackeray non-committal about alliance with BJP at state government

“Nobody else in the country has the same party retained power at a municipal corporation for five times in a row. This is a historic win for us, and this is not the time for us to talk about the state government. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and I haven’t spoken today,” said Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.

BJP, Shiv Sena may not admit to it, but they need each other

The BJP and Shiv Sena are neck and neck in the number of seats won in the BMC election. Even though the BJP picked up a lot more seats than ever before, it fell short of its goal — taking control of civic affairs. The news isn’t good since either party would need support to take control of the BMC, making an alliance hard to forge and sustain.

To read full article, click here

Sena non-committal about future of Devendra Fadnavis state government

Sena retains hold, BJP makes huge gains, but smaller parties hold key to power

The possibilities are immense for both, the Sena and the BJP, are likely to stake claim for power: The Sena, as the single largest party, assuming office with the help of non-BJP parties; the BJP assuming office with the help of non-Sena parties; and the Sena and BJP forming a post-poll alliance in return for a political deal in the state and central governments. But whatever the outcome, the saffron partners have belittled the Congress and the NCP.

To read full article, click here

Sena demands probe into voters missing from lists

“There have been many thousands of voters whose names have gone missing from the lists. This is a grave problem, and needs to be investigated. We need to check if a conspiracy is afoot,” said Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.

Congress should take a long and hard look at its failure: Omar Abdullah

National Conference leader and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah suggested the Congress take a “long and hard” look at its failure in Maharashtra civic body polls, saying he will “truly despair” about 2019 Lok Sabha elections if the results of Assembly polls in five states on 11 March go the
same way. “If 11/03/2017 goes this way, I will truly despair for what it will mean for the battle of 2019 which is the one that really matters,” Omar wrote on Twitter following BJP’s good showing in the civic body polls in Maharashtra.

— PTI

Uddhav Thackeray to also address media

After his party claimed first place in the BMC election, albeit by the most slender of margins, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will address the media, in which he is likely to spell out his party’s plans for the future.

Won’t accept Pankaja Munde’s resignation: Fadnavis

Lottery to determine winner in Girgaum

In Ward No 220 in South Mumbai, Shiv Sena’s Surendra Bhagalkar and BJP’s Atul Shah had the exact same number of votes. Counting took place on three separate occasions, but threw up the same figure each time. The final winner will be picked by BMC commissioner Ajoy Mehta through a lottery system.

Demonetisation just one part of our anti-corruption plank

“We have done well throughout Maharashtra. We fought this elections on the promise of anti-corruption, of which demonetisation is just one part. It’s clear the people of the state have accepted our vision,” Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said.

Fadnavis non-committal about post-poll tie-ups

“A core committee will decide any possible post-poll alliances or tie-ups with different parties,” Devendra Fadnavis has said after his BJP party won 81 seats in Mumbai.

Used same agenda that we used at Centre and state levels: Fadnavis

“Mumbai has come out and voted in favour of BJP. The agenda we used at the national and state level, we also used successfully here. And not just in Mumbai, we also won six other cities across the state,” Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said.

Credit to Modi, Fadnavis, says BJP

“For this, we give credit to Narendra Modi’s guidance and CM Devendra Fadnavis, who promoted clean governance,” the BJP has said.

PINNED POST: Sanjay Sawant and Aashray Hariharan deconstruct the election

Fadnavis to speak to the media shortly

Celebrations outside Matoshree after Shiv Sena’s fine performance

Fadnavis to address media

With BJP putting up a great show, winning eight municipal corporations that had civic polls on Tuesday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will speak to the media and discuss his party’s plans for the cities they have won.

BJP claims 81 seats, support of four more corporators

How BJP won Pune

The BJP had strategically started planning for the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections, even before the 2014 Lok Sabha election took place. Even while campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections was taking place, the party’s long-term target appeared to be the civic elections.  They systematically activated the RSS cadre and old timers in the city. The first signs of victory came with BJP candidate Anil Shirole winning becoming MP from Pune. The BJP wave then swept the NCP and Congress away, winning all eight seats during the legislative Assembly polls held later that year. And it culminated in Thursday’s win which gives them control of the city at the Centre, state and civic levels.

Partywise positions for 225 seats:

Shiv Sena: 84

BJP: 81

Congress: 31

NCP: 9

Samajwadi Party: 6

MNS: 7

AIMIM: 3

ABS: 1

Independents: 4

Partywise positions for 221 seats:

Shiv Sena: 84

BJP: 80

Congress: 31

NCP: 9

Samajwadi Party: 6

MNS: 7

AIMIM: 3

ABS: 1

Independents: 4

Matoshree cleared after fire; roads deserted again

Matoshree cleared after fire; roads deserted again

Ramdas Kadam visits Matoshree to congratulate Uddhav Thackeray

Senior Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam has visited Matoshree to meet Uddhav Thackeray and congratulate him on the Sena’s fine performance in the BMC elections.

Unprecedented success for BJP, says Nitin Gadkari

It’s neck and neck between Shiv Sena and BJP in Mumbai

Traffic jam outside Sena Bhavan as supporters turn ecstatic

Final results of 199 seats

Shiv Sena: 77

BJP: 69

Congress: 27

NCP: 8

Samajwadi Party: 6

MNS: 4

AIMIM: 3

ABS: 1

Independents: 4

Shiv Sena supporters take out a bike rally outside Sena Bhavan

Sanjay Nirupam accepts blame for Congress’ poor show, offers to quit

Talking to reporters on Thursday after election results were announced, Congress’ Mumbai unit chief Sanjay Nirupam launched a broadside against party leaders in the city who, he said, wished that the Congress lose the elections, an apparent reference to AICC general secretary Gurudas Kamat. “In their aim to defeat me, they caused immense harm to the party,” he said.

To read full article, click here

— PTI

Final results in 199 seats

Shiv Sena: 77

BJP: 69

Congress: 27

NCP: 8

Samajwadi Party: 6

MNS: 4

AIMIM: 3

ABS: 1

Independents: 4

An update on the Great Matoshree Fire

An untoward incident took place outside Matoshree as celebratory fireworks went out of control and torched a tree in Kalanagar. The residents of Kalanagar had to take it upon themselves to douse the fire, while the police looked on. The fire has now been put out, thanks to the presence of mind of the locals. A fire tender arrived, but the blaze was already under control. 

AIMIM HQ deserted after ‘complete rout’

Situated in the densely-populated Muslim-dominated area of Nagpada, this is AIMIM’s Mumbai headquarters. It was deserted when I got there and while there were no party officials in sight, the general sense I got from the few people hanging around the office was that party saw the result as a complete rout.

Having contested in 57 wards, the AIMIM has only won three seats so far.

The crowd surrounding the Ghatkopar counting centre slowly disperses as the process of counting comes to a close.

Where there’s smoke…

Celebratory fireworks outside Matoshree result in a tree catching fire.

Celebrations underway outside Matoshree

Shiv Sena supporters celebrate outside the counting centre near Deepak Talkies

BJP narrowing gap

Though Shiv Sena stormed ahead in the first few hours of counting, BJP has narrowed the gap and has begun clawing back in seats where counting is currently on. As of now, Shiv Sena is leading in 93 seats while BJP is leading in 70.

This just in

Bhai Jagtap will be named new Mumbai Congress chief after Sanjay Nirupam tendered his resignation

The latest numbers, as per the State Election Commission

BMC Election 2017: Noisy celebrations at Sena Bhavan in Mumbai after the party stormed to a big lead

http://www.firstpost.com/politics/bmc-election-2%E2%80%A6-to-a-big-lead-3298702.html/embed

Who will be the next mayor? 

Shailesh Phanse, who was touted to be the next mayor, lost in Andheri (West). Former MLA and mayor Milind Vaidya who won from Dadar and Mangesh Satamkar from Sion Koliwada are two potential candidates for the post of mayor.

This time the mayor will be selected from the open (male) category.

A strange phenomenon in Ghatkopar

Four women won seats among those being counted in this centre, but strangely, the supporters were cheering for their husbands and not for the candidate herself. In one or two cases, the supporters couldn’t even recollect the name of the woman who won, but could easily name her husband, her brother-in-law.

Constituencies and wards are reserved for women to empower them. But it’s not implausible that male politicians from those wards make their female family members contest elections and be the face, while the real power lies in their hands.

Here’s a list of some of the women who won:

Ward 125: Rupali Awale (Shiv Sena) — When I asked supporters who won, they said, “Awale Saheb”. When I asked them the name of the candidate, they said that candidate was Awale Saheb’s wife. It took them a few seconds to recollect her name.

Ward 124: Jyoti Khan (NCP) — People only knew that Harun Khan’s wife had won. They had to check their phones to tell me the candidate’s name.

Ward 123: Snehal More (Independent) — All the supporters to whom I spoke only mentioned, “More Saheb”. All the chants were for Sudhir More. A quick chat with other party supporters made me realise that it wasn’t Sudhir More who won, but it was his sister-in-law Snehal More who won.

Ward 126: Archana Bhalerao (MNS) — This was a slightly better situation as the supporters were saying ‘vahini jinkli’ (our sister-in-law has won). But most of the slogans were for her husband, Sanjay Bhalerao.

All quiet at MNS party HQ Rajgad

Quite expectedly, there’s very little for the party to celebrate

All quiet at Varsha Bungalow, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ official residence

http://www.firstpost.com/politics/bmc-election-2%E2%80%A6cial-residence-3298652.html/embed

Sanjay Raut takes shots at BJP

Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut spoke to the media outside Matoshree. He said that this victory will echo all across India. “It had started echoing ever since Uddhav Thackeray announced that the Sena would go it alone and Mumbai has proved him right.”

He added that demonetisation was a terrible strategy by the BJP and that it didn’t go down well with the people, which is reflected in the results today.

Sena Bhavan begins gearing up for a massive light show… apparently

Shiv Sena appears set to overhaul its 2012 performance, but so does the BJP…

In the other half of Dadar…

While the supporters of the Shiv Sena appear unable to contain their excitement, Krushn Bhavan, the home of Raj Thackeray wears a deserted look.There are no party workers or supporters, never mind celebrations. This is likely the effect of a poor performance in the BMC election.

This just in…

Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam has offered his resignation, presumably after his party’s performance in the municipal polls.

BJP may trail Mumbai, but is winning six other municipal corporations

BJP is trailing Shiv Sena in Mumbai, Thane and Ulhasnagar, but is leading in Pune, Nagpur, Solapur, Nashik, Akola and Amravati. Clearly, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis may have failed to ignite the state capital, but the party has exceeded expectations in six other cities.

The results for F/South Ward are in…

The Shiv Sena has won six seats and the Congress has one.

200 Urmila Panchal (Shiv Sena)
201 Supriya More (Congress)
202 Shraddha Jadhav (Shiv Sena)
203 Sindhu Masurkar (Shiv Sena)
204 Anil Kokil (Shiv Sena)
205 Datta Phongade (Shiv Sena)
206 Sachin Padwal (Shiv Sena)

Shiv Sena confident alliance with BJP won’t be needed, says Anil Desai

​

With early trends indicating a lead for Shiv Sena in the BMC polls, a senior party leader exuded confidence that there will be no need for them to forge an alliance with BJP in the Mumbai civic body. “The response of the people has been very good. There are several places where the Sena is leading. This is all due to the faith of people in the leadership of (late Sena supremo) Balasaheb (Thackeray) and Uddhav ji,” Sena MP Anil Desai told reporters at the Sena Bhavan. “People of Mumbai, with their wisdom, are ready to bring the Sena to power on its own. There will be no alliance needed (with the BJP),” he said.

— PTI

The scene outside Shiv Sena Bhavan 

Shiv Sena enters the ’nervous 90s’

The Sena is approaching a century in Mumbai, with a lead in 90 seats, while the BJP is ahead in 54.

Oh, and there’s also a cricket match underway today .

Meanwhile in Pune

BJP is trailing behind in Mumbai, but is doing very wel in Pune. In elections to PMC, BJP is leading in 46 seats, while NCP, which has traditionally done well here, follows in distant second with 19 seats. Shiv Sena and Congress are yet to reach double figures.

It’s not all doom and gloom for the Congress

Shiv Sena supporters start the party

http://www.firstpost.com/politics/bmc-election-2%E2%80%A6tart-the-party-3298522.html/embed

Sena consolidates lead

With counting done in all but 40 constituencies, Shiv Sena has emerged as a clear leader in 88 seats. BJP has fallen way back with 54, while Congress follows with 20. MNS and NCP bring up the rest with 10 and eight seats respectively.

Meet Nikhil Jadhav, the son of two Shiv Sena candidates

His mother is contesting from Ward 210, while his father is contesting from Ward 209

The story so far…

No matter who wins, Mumbai’s councillors must put politics aside to fix city’s issues

Ideally as the results pour in, by Thursday evening, most Mumbaikars should know who their new councillor is. This is going to be very important, as for the next five years, our local ward councillor is probably going to be the only politician in the city who’s going to give the average Mumbaikar the time of day.  Details of your new councillors will be on the MCGM’s website, ideally a few days after they are elected, along with their e-mail addresses. So the next time you see a pothole, take a photo and e-mail it to your councillor with a request for it to be fixed.

To read full analysis, click here

Shiv Sena supporters set off fireworks outside party HQ

http://www.firstpost.com/politics/bmc-election-2%E2%80%A6tside-party-hq-3298490.html/embed

Snehal More’s supporters celebrate her impending victory

http://www.firstpost.com/politics/bmc-election-2%E2%80%A6ending-victory-3298450.html/embed

Ashish Shelar’s brother Vinod loses from Ward No 51

Meanwhile in Nashik

In Nashik, BJP is ahead of its rivals in 18 seats, while Shiv Sena has the lead in 7 seats. Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, which had won the Nashik municipal corporation in 2012, is lagging far behind with just two seats, the same as Congress and NCP.

— PTI

‘Mumbai has reposed its faith in Uddhav Thackeray and Shiv Sena’

…Shiv Sena supporters are climbing nearby buildings

And in Ghatkopar, while NCP supporters are climbing trees…

Meanwhile at Mumbai Congress HQ

Devi Singh, a secretary in the Mumbai Congress admitted that the party didn’t perform as well as it had hoped, but he was confident that the party would win at least eight to 10 more seats than 2012.

Sena’s lead swells as BJP touches 50

Shiv Sena leads in 85 seats, while BJP crosses the 50-seat mark. Congress now leading in 18 seats, while MNS and NCP follow with 10 and seven respectively.

Optimism at Sena Bhavan

Ex-mayor Shraddha Jadhav wins for a sixth straight time

BJP claws back, with leads in 44 seats

Shiv Sena still has the lead in 77 seats out of 155 where counting has begun, while BJP has begun clawing back with leads in 44 seats.

Shiv Sena workers begin celebrating

Sena leading in Thane, BJP in Nagpur

Shiv Sena has the lead in 30 seats of Thane in addition to the massive lead it has opened up in Mumbai, but BJP can take solace from the good showing it has put up in Nagpur and Pune. BJP has been winning the Nagpur municipal corporation for the last two terms and looks good to do so again. In Pimpri Chinchwad, Ajit Pawar is on track to leading NCP to a win.

Meanwhile in Thane

Sena’s lead swells

Shiv Sena now has nearly twice the number of seats as BJP, leading in 60 seats as against BJP’s lead, which is in 34 seats. Congress, MNS and NCP follow behind with 34, 8 and 7 respectively

Want to know what you’re missing out on Mumbai’s streets?

Meanwhile in Nagpur

Shiv Sena leads in 56 seats out of 111

As counting takes place in 111 seats, Shiv Sena has a comfortable lead in 56 seats, as against BJP’s 32. Congress has finally moved into double figures with 10, while NCP and MNS follow with six and five respectively.

Meanwhile in South Mumbai…

Shiv Sena supporters are being forced to rely on their mobile phones for updates as they are unable to hear the announcements.

Sniffing a win?

Shiv Sena supporters cheer in Andheri (East) as announcements suggest that their candidates are in the lead.

Sena claims win,… and so does BJP

Barely 75 minutes into counting, the Shiv Sena is already claiming the civic election. Meanwhile, the BJP is believed to be expecting to win more than 125 (of the total 227) seats.

Shiv Sena consolidates lead

Shiv Sena has raced ahead in 40 seats out of 82 where counting has begun, while BJP is trailing behind with 26. Congress, NCP and MNS are all in single digits.

Updates from Andheri (East)

The first round of counting at Gundavali Municipal School in Andheri (East) is complete. The Shiv Sena leads in Wards 74, 75, 77 and 79, whereas the BJP is ahead in Wards 76, 78, 80 and 81 as of now.

Meanwhile in Pune

Counting for the Pune Municipal Corporation is also underway, and the BJP is leading in 32 seats, while Shiv Sena is at 10. NCP, which has traditionally done well in PMC, is leading in 12 seats.

Unfortunately, not everyone shares the excitement

Meet Shankar Vishnoi, the owner of a shop near Gilder Lane Municipal School. On a normal day, he’s earned around Rs 1,000 by this time. His take today has been a miserable Rs 200 because of all the barricades set up in front of his store.

South Mumbai wakes up at last

A crowd has begun to swell around Metro Cinema where counting is underway. 

More issues with sound

Even though specially-designated places were allocated to supporters of various parties, everyone has ended up crowding near the entrance of this counting centre in Chembur (where the first round of counting for Wards 149 and 152 is complete). The reason for crowding at the entrance is that the space allocated to supporters is very far from the centre and announcements were inaudible there.

Shiv Sena roars ahead; MNS opens its account

Shiv Sena is leading in 28 seats, while BJP has the lead in 18 seats. Congress and NCP are ahead in four and one seat respectively. MNS has also opened its account, and is leading in one seat.

Latest numbers

Shiv Sena is ahead in 12 seats, with the BJP catching up (leading in 10 seats). The Congress is ahead in three seats, while the NCP is ahead in the solitary ward.

The first round of counting for Ward 148 is complete

NCP leading in one seat; Shiv Sena inches ahead

Shiv Sena and BJP have roared ahead of the pack, leading in 12 and 10 seats respectively. Congress is leading in three seats and NCP in one. Raj Thackeray’s MNS party is yet to open its account.

Shiv Sena maintains its lead

The Sena is ahead in six seats, with the BJP leading in three. The Congress has the lead in two seats at this point.

Here’s something new…

This election has seen supporters using live TV on their mobile phones to update themselves about the election results across the state.

Police presence

Additional Commissioner of Police Cherring Dorje visited the Gundavali Municipal School in Andheri (East) to monitor the situation. Counting of votes for Wards 72 to 81 and Ward 86 is being conducted here.

Listen up, Mumbai!

In Chembur, speakers have been set up so that supporters and Mumbaikars can hear the results as they come in

First round of counting is completed in South Mumbai

Wards 208, 209, 225 and 226 have had their first rounds of counting completed

Shiv Sena takes an early lead

According to CNN-News18, the Shiv Sena is off to an early lead in four seats, with BJP ahead in one seat

Counting kicks off 20 minutes late in South Mumbai

Mumbai Congress HQ deserted 

According to the one man present in the office, leaders and party officials will only begin to arrive around noon.

Counting begins across 23 centres 

The fate of 227 wards to be ascertained in just a few hours.

With minutes left till the ballots open, let’s look back at the voter turnout

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Number of Voter turnout in Mumbai
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Arithmetic suggests a clear winner, probably Shiv Sena; BJP win will be a stunner

If it is a straight contest this year, this election then is about the redistribution of this big chunk of votes. (There is still the possibility that it is not a straight contest and we have assumed the most voluble contestant as the only contestants.) Even if the three parties hang on to 50 percent of their vote base, there are still about 11 lakh floating votes. Add to that the additional five lakh new voters who turned up in this election.

So one thing is for sure, if the surmise that it’s a two-way election is correct, then both the Shiv Sena and the BJP will see a huge surge in their voter base. In 2012, Shiv Sena won with 21.84 percent of total votes polled. The Congress was snapping at its heels with 21.23 percent and the MNS with 20.66 percent. BJP got only 8.64 percent.

Recap: What was the breakup of candidates across Mumbai’s 227 wards?

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Number Candidates
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Under half an hour to go until counting begins

Traffic snarls all across the city

In Andheri (East), one side of the road has been blocked and traffic has been redirected to the other side, leading to very slow movement of vehicles. And while the traffic police is making efforts to ease the jams, there’s only so much they can do considering the large number of cops deployed to keep an eye on the movement of vehicles in and out of the Gundavali Municipal School — the counting centre.

Ever wondered how counting actually takes place?

“The counting process will begin at 10 am in the presence of the counting agent of each candidate, a supervisor from the state and the BMC, and all the candidates,” said former election supervisor Suvarnkant Naik.

Speaking with Firstpost, Naik claimed that the first hour goes into counting all the EVMs. Thereafter, the EVMs from the same wards are grouped together and placed on a table each. Then, the ward number is written on each table.

“Before counting begins, the EVM seal is shown to everyone present for counting. Once satisfied with the seal, each member signs on a paper. It’s only after that the count of votes received by each candidate is announced,” he added.

Lockdown in South Mumbai

The police bandobast around Metro Cinema — where counting for South Mumbai wards will take place — is quite heavy. And roads leading to the cinema have been blocked by the cops, with no vehicular traffic allowed.

Meanwhile in Pune

Will the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) retain its bastion? Or will the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) get to govern the civic body for the first time? A small rise in voter turnout in Pune has left everyone guessing.

Voters in both Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations exercised their franchise for the civic body election on Tuesday. With a voter turnout of 55 percent, Pune witnessed a marginal increase of 4 percent in the current election as compared to the 2012 civic body election. The Pimpri-Chinchwad civic body election, however, saw a historic high with a turnout of 67 percent. The rise in voter turnout has left all the political parties in the two municipal corporations in a fix.

Record turnout in Shiv Sena vs BJP battle raises more questions than answers

One would like to imagine that Mumbai voters – with the other nine municipal corporations – made their choices on Tuesday in what is mini-general elections, on civic and specific development issues plaguing their respective cities. But the campaigns mounted by the two principal actors, Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray and BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis were anything but that. It was a bid at political assertion.

Which brings up the question: which party would best the other. Traditionally, about half of Mumbai votes with its feet. The other half thinks it is a superfluous task since, with the civic body, it is the cash that counts, the cash forked out to the machinery, including the corporators they elect every five years. So, what’s the point?
 

Meanwhile at HQ…

At the BMC headquarters in South Mumbai, the atmosphere resembles that of any other day. 

Ready to go

With an hour to go before counting begins, police presence outside Gilder Path Municipal English School in Mumbai Central is growing.

Blame Shiv Sena-BJP acrimony for a predictably fragmented mandate, no clear majority

The percentage of votes cast in the BMC polls on Tuesday indicates that there may not be any drastic change in the leadership of the civic body, though there is a strong possibility of a fragmented mandate.
 

Considering the awareness campaign launched by the Maharashtra election commission, as well as other agencies to motivate voters in Mumbai to come out and cast their vote, failed to mobilise the citizens. The major chunk of voters who turned up to cast their votes continued to be the usual voters from slums, chawls and working class localities. These voters are in constant need of corporators to solve their day-to-day problems…

Blame Shiv Sena-BJP acrimony for a predictably fragmented mandate, no clear majority

The percentage of votes cast in the BMC polls on Tuesday indicates that there may not be any drastic change in the leadership of the civic body, though there is a strong possibility of a fragmented mandate.
 

Considering the awareness campaign launched by the Maharashtra election commission, as well as other agencies to motivate voters in Mumbai to come out and cast their vote, failed to mobilise the citizens. The major chunk of voters who turned up to cast their votes continued to be the usual voters from slums, chawls and working class localities. These voters are in constant need of corporators to solve their day-to-day problems…

Mumbai’s civic body is doing a fine job, can’t be blamed for the city’s problems

For a city with the richest civic body in the country, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) sure doesn’t have much power over the lives of average Mumbaikars. Which is why the fact that 55 percent of the city turning up to vote on Tuesday is a big deal, unlike argued in a previous piece. A few more reality checks are required…

Uddhav Thackeray’s big gamble may change the dynamics of Mumbai politics

With the BJP’s thumping win in the Maharashtra Assembly Election 2014, Shiv Sena have been complaining of being pushed to the sidelines. Though leaders of both the parties have indicated that breakup in the alliance in the civic body polls will not have an impact on the state politics, challenging the ruling BJP is a huge political gamble for Uddhav. Mumbai has always been a Sena bastion, taking control of the BMC without the BJP could open up new possibilities for Uddhav and his party, but a defeat on the home turf would mean that the Sena chief has managed to alienate their core vote base who have shifted their allegiance to the  BJP.

Read the full story here .

Editor’s note: We will be sharing live updates as counting in the Mumbai civic election commences at 10 am.

Final voting turnout across 10 civic body elections (all figures in percentage)

BMC: 55

Thane: 58

Ulhasnagar: 45

Pune: 54

Pimpri-Chinchwad: 67

Solapur: 60

Nashik: 60

Akola: 56

Amravati: 55

Nagpur: 53

14 NCs registered in BMC Election 2017

Apart from the 12 lakh voters’ names that went missing and a few minor skirmishes, the BMC election 2017 went smoothly on Tuesday. The police registered 14 NC complaints across polling booths on Tuesday for minor reasons. One cognisable offence was also registered at the Antop Hill police station for causing obstruction to government officer while discharging his duty. There were no other serious untoward incidents reported at polling stations in Mumbai.

Voter turnout in municipal elections across Maharashtra (all figures in percentage)

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Fadnavis lauds Mumbai for “record turnout”

SEC says they used same voter lists as provided by Election Commission of India

Regarding the issue of a large number of voters not finding their names in the voter lists, State Election Commissioner JS Saharia has said they were referring to lists provided to them by the Election Commission of India. The list, which was sent on 5 January, 2017, was forwarded to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as well, he said. Voters part of this list are the same across Parliament, Assembly and municipal elections.

When asked whose fault could it be that lakhs of voters across Mumbai find their names missing from voter lists, he replied saying SEC cannot be held responsible. The list was released on 5 January, and voters had the right to check if his/her name is present, he said.

Shiv Sena demands probe into missing voters

Shiv Sena leader and MLC Anil Parab has alleged that names of lakhs of voters in Mumbai have gone missing form voters’ list. Even those who had cast their votes in the previous civic elections held in 2012 have had to return empty handed from the polling stations. “We have demanded a probe into why the voters’ names have gone missing, and we’ll file a written complaint in this regard with the state election commission as well,” said Parab.

BJP candidate helping voters find their booth

A BMC polling official at Ghatkopar’s Gurukul School had an interesting story to narrate. In the morning, a BJP candidate from this constituency was sitting with the BMC volunteers and officials outside the polling booth to help voters find their booth and serial numbers. After a while, when it was noticed that the lists they were referring to had the lotus symbol on them, and thereby a violation of the code of conduct, a quarrel ensued outside the polling booth.

Polling centres begin shutting their gates

Polling ends at 5.30 pm, and gates across the city have begun shutting down for the day.

Turnout figures by 3 pm (all figures in percentages)

Mumbai: 41.32

Thane: 45.05

Ulhasnagar: 35.25

Nashik: 43.20

Pune: 42.92

Pimpri Chinchwad: 43.80

Solapur: 43

Amravati: 41.24

Akola: 46.28

Nagpur: 45.72

Total average: 42.80

Poll officials made to sit since 8 am without food, water

A brief chat with BMC polling officials at Ghatkopar’s Gurukul School throws light on the sorry condition in which poll officials are treated in the country. Officials here say they have been sititng since 8 am, and haven’t been provided with either lunch or snacks. Let alone food, they haven’t even received any drinking water. Nobody has yet come in to relieve them of our duties. One just wonders how far is a public servant expected to go, just to let an indifferent city exercise its right to vote.

Turnouts to pick up as polling enters last hour

As polling enters the last one hour, voter turnouts are expected to pick up. At polling booths across the city, people have been arriving and queues are increasing in length once again.

PINNED POST:  The actual biggest question of the day

12 lakh voters disappear from voter lists across Mumbai

A total of 12,00,000 voters who had voted in the previous 2012 BMC election were not allowed to exercise their franchise this time, as their names had disappeared from official voter lists. Among the chief reasons for this includes demarcation of wards. There are a total of 91.80 lakh voters in BMC.

Vishnu Chogle is a 68-year-old man who is unable to either walk or speak. There was also nobody in his family who could have brought him to the polling booth. But such was his desperation to cast his vote that he asked a neighbour to take him along. The neighbour Rajeshkumar Mishra said, “Voting is our right and whether or not one’e vote brings about a significant change, we should all vote. It’s this belief that he gets his strength from.”

Hawkers told to keep shutters down

Hawkers in Andheri have been asked to keep their shops shut till 5.30 pm, which is when polling for the day will end. People are standing around, watching the crowds vote. But nobody seems to be complaining of inconvenience. “It’s our duty to vote,” said a hawker waiting for the clock to strike 5.30.

All sorts of promises set to go unfulfilled again

Santacruz (East) resident Paramhans Chaubey cast his own vote early in the morning so that he could drive his taxi through the day and ferry voters to their voting stations. He seemed upset about the work done by the candidate in his area.

“They talk a good game and make big promises, but we don’t know what they’ll do after they get elected,” he said.

Could this be the most efficient voting station in Greater Mumbai?
 

I spoke to nearly 20 voters who had come to vote at Ward 132’s Municipal School on Tilak Road in Ghatkopar. There seems to be a unanimous opinion that the voting arrangements at this centre are spot-on. No long queues, no rude officials. Everything is moving along smoothly.

Pat yourselves on the back, Mumbai!

At least you can say you’re better than Pune… so far.

If at first, you don’t succeed…

Bhalchandra Kamble, a registered voter in Ward 27 of Kandivali (East) couldn’t find his name on the voter list, but he didn’t lose hope. He visited the three polling booths in the vicinity to find his name and was finally able to cast his vote after searching for his name for nearly two hours.

“Voting is my right; we all should be responsible and vote for candidates who work for the welfare of the society,” he said.

Voter turnout so far

By 1.30 pm, Mumbai had registered a voter turnout of 32.1%

What the city really needs

“There is a need to install Corruption Perception Index, Cleanliness Perception Index, to sustain goodness in governance of Mumbai,” says Shailesh Gandhi, RTI activist

It’s time issue of public health becomes part of the public policy discourse

India’s richest city is battling major challenges in public health. It faces issues such as sanitation, shortage of health personnel, uneven distribution of public health facilities and overall lags in the public healthcare delivery.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has set aside Rs 3,693 crore to improve healthcare services out of a total budget for Rs 37,052 crore for the year 2016-17, which accounts for 9.96 percent of the total budget outlay of the corporation. Yet, there are too many health issues in Mumbai and the provisions to address those are far from enough.

But he did violate the code of conduct

On Monday evening, Chheda tweeted his own posters, thereby violating the code of conduct. It’s yet unknown what action will be taken against him.

Pravin Chheda the only candidate with a criminal record in Ward No 132

Pravin Chheda is the only candidate in Ghatkopar’s Ward No 132 to have a criminal record, but that hasn’t deterred voters. The buzz about polling booths here was that Chheda stands a good chance of victory.

Condition of BMC schools under the scanner

One positive aspect of the voting stations — a number of which are in BMC schools — is that citizens are actually exposed to the state of those schools. A woman was overheard complaining about the condition of one such school.

Perhaps in the future, these very citizens will take the condition of BMC schools more seriously.

Positive noises coming from Ward 116

The voter turnout in this ward has greatly improved on the previous election. And the key difference is that first-time voters are showing great enthusiasm. In fact, on a day when many people are grumbling about their names not appearing on electoral lists, one voter found his name on three lists and was infuriated about exactly where he was supposed to go.

Pawar casts his vote from constituency without NCP candidates

NCP chief Sharad Pawar exercised his franchise in a municipal ward in Mumbai, where nine candidates are contesting, but interestingly, none of them belongs to NCP. Pawar, along with son-in-law Sadanand Sule and grand-daughter Revati, voted at a polling booth in Ward No 214. There are nine candidates contesting from this ward, including those from Congress, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Shiv Sena. But since the Congress and NCP have a seat-sharing partnership in place, Pawar’s party didn’t put up a candidate from this seat. The candidates in the fray include Arvind Bane of Shiv Sena, Dhanraj Sahadev Naik of MNS, Kaushik Jasubhai Shah of Congress and Sarita Ajay Patil of BJP.

– PTI

Just how much have parties spent on hoardings for this election?

According to the data available with the BMC, the MMRDA, the MSRDC and the PWD Department, there are 3,600 hoardings in the BMC area, 50 percent of which are reserved for companies, corporate clients and for social awareness messages from the government. The remaining space is owned by Bright Outdoor Media, Global Advertisers and three other companies in Mumbai.

A highly placed source from advertising told Firstpost that there are three hoardings of the BJP and two of the Shiv Sena. The BJP have put up more than 200 hoardings in Mumbai, Shiv Sena have over 100 hoardings. The hoardings of the Congress, and the NCP count up to 15, whereas MNS has about 10 hoarding sites, he added.

The charge for a 10 by 40 feet hoarding site is around Rs 2 lakh, the rate comes down if the client wants to keep it for two weeks.

Fadnavis confident of good show by BJP

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has exuded confidence that people of Mumbai will support the party on basis of the work it has done in the state.

Fadnavis, who is facing a battle of prestige in election to 10 municipal corporations across Maharashtra, including the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, told reporters, “I have full faith that on the basis of work we (BJP) have done, people will back us.” 

Fadnavis said voting is the responsibility of citizens and they should participate in the democratic process.

-PTI

The second biggest question of the day

Celebrities vote in large numbers

Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar expressed hope that the party that gets elected this year works towards improving infrastructure and environment. “It’s difficult to breathe on the roads. I hope people focus on cleaning the city. We cannot keep cutting trees. We need to take care of our city. We all need to make the effort,” she said.

Lyricist Gulzar, meanwhile, urged people to vote. “I am sure the citizens will come out to vote, the youngsters specially,” the poet said.

However, some celebrities were not able to cast their votes for the civic poll due to work commitments.

Come rain or shine

Despite the heat and the fact that not all offices have given their employees the day off, voting continues in Ward 224

Unaffordable housing in Mumbai is something polls won’t change

Mumbai accounts for 40 percent of India’s income tax collections and 40 percent of its foreign trade. It is home to not only the headquarters of major national financial institutions but also to some of the largest and most successful international corporations. The biggest irony of this moneyed city is that a large chunk of the population can’t afford a flat here. With an estimated average of about 4.5 square metres per person in 2009, the consumption of residential floor space in Mumbai is one of the lowest in the world. Shanghai is at 34 square metres per person.

The situation in Mahim

http://www.firstpost.com/politics/bmc-election-2017-in-mahim-voters-turn-up-in-numbers-at-lunch-time-3294182.html/embed

Roads remain the primary concern

Tushar Shah, a registered voter at ward 55 in Jawahar Nagar in Goregaon (West), feels that in the next five years, he expects his candidate to improve the condition of roads in the area.

“The roads are in very bad shape and cause trouble, especially in the rains,” he said. He also believed that the root of any problem in the region is corruption and in the next five years, the authorities should ensure that they don’t indulge in corrupt practices.

Easier said than done?

The wedding can wait, voting comes first

Brazen nepotism among corporators means Mumbai is in for a ‘proxy’ election

Electoral politics in India has a big fat blemish: Reservations. Constituencies are categorised as Open, SC, ST, women etc. While this was done to ensure diverse participation, it also has major negative side-effects on governance. First, politicians are majorly concerned with re-elections to prolong their careers, and in the absence of this stimulus, they do not work to impress the electorate. One must also observe the dramatic rise in assets of one-term corporators.

Second, politicians with muscle and money enjoy the benefits of reservation by fielding, what can be called, the ‘great Indian family’.

Voters, not the politicians, could prove to be the real protagonist in the polls

Voters will need to choose between educated, seemingly sensible contestants who are out of touch with the ground reality and populist goons, trying to push their own agenda and ‘special’ interests.

A recent report published by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and the Maharashtra Election Watch (MEW) found that 216 candidates contesting the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections have criminal cases registered against them.

Naturally, the dilemma that most voters face in the current election is whether to vote for the best amongst the worst or to go for a vacation. May people who did not vote in the previous election cite the lack of good candidates or empty promises as a major reason to boycott the process altogether.

Delay in voters’ list release might impact poll result: BJP

After engaging in a bitter war of words with Shiv Sena during civic poll campaigning, Mumbai BJP unit president Ashish Shelar today said glitches like delay in
release of voters’ list might have an impact on the poll results.

“The release of list of voters got delayed and there was also a change in polling booths. All this may have an impact on elections,” Shelar told reporters after casting his vote in suburban Bandra. He claimed that many voters have also not received their voting slip, which has prevented them from exercising their franchise. 

“People want to vote but not able to due to these glitches. The confusion will have an impact on the results,” Shelar said.

– PTI

Instead of complaining, vote: Sachin Tendulkar

Mob fury at Sardar Tara Singh’s presence in Mulund (East)

http://www.firstpost.com/politics/bmc-election-2017-mob-vents-fury-at-sardar-tara-singh-questions-his-presence-3293994.html/embed

Varun Dhawan frustrated at not finding his name in the voter list

Voter turnout so far

By 11.30 am, Mumbai had registered a voter turnout of 16.4%

Sachin Tendulkar cast his vote in Bandra

This just in!

Tara Singh apparently wasn’t there to vote. His ward is in Mulund (West) and the polling station at which he arrived is in Mulund (East), in Ward 105. He literally sat around for five minutes folding his hands and greeting people. 

The police has done nothing about it. In fact, the cops didn’t allow other politicians to park their vehicles, but Tara Singh’s car is still here.

Passing the parcel?

Bibi Rangnath Kharat waits outside the polling station at Sahakar Nagar Municipal School (Ward 51) with her two-month-old grandson, while his mother has gone inside to vote. A few minutes earlier, the baby’s mother waited outside with him while the grandmother went to cast her vote.

Bibi says that her daughter lives in Vashi but her name features on the list here (where she used to live before marriage). And so, Bibi made that her daughter came to vote as she didn’t want a single vote to go waste.

Interestingly, the car in which Tara Singh arrived to vote, has its rear windshield — presumably covered with promotional stickers — blanked out with newspapers. A move to avoid falling afoul of the Code of Conduct perhaps?

BJP MLA Sardar Tara Singh turns up to cast his vote at Ward 105 (Mulund)

If you want to beat the heat, vote early

Voters have turned up in significant numbers at Ward 50’s St Mary’s English School in Malad (West). Officers have disclosed that the voter turnout as of 11 am has been around 35 percent.

According to police officials at the spot, voters have turned up early to avoid the afternoon heat, and the numbers will reduce as the mercury levels rise.

http://www.firstpost.com/politics/bmc-election-2017-voters-rush-to-polling-station-in-malad-to-beat-the-afternoon-heat-3293840.html/embed

No parking within 100 metres of polling booth

Traffic rules have been changed for election day, and parking within 100 metres of polling booths aren’t allowed.

Is this allowed?

In Mulund’s Ward 105, a candidate (in the purple saree) is helping people find their names on the list.

Not sure if this falls within the purview of what is allowed by the Election Commission

PINNED POST: Who will win control of India’s richest municipal corporation?

BJP’s Shaina NC finally able to cast her vote after uncertainty

And in other news…

Shiv Sena chief Manohar Joshi at a polling booth in Shivaji Park

Will Mumbai beat its dismal BMC election voter turnout records?

According to policeman at a polling station in Dockyard Colony, Kanjurmarg, voter turnout has been excellent (in the ward he is policing) this time around, when compared to the last election.

MNS chief Raj Thackeray casts his vote

Will Mumbai buck the trend and improve voter turnout this time?

More celebrities cast their votes

The one day politics takes precedence over cricket

These children always play on the grounds of the Municipal School No 1 (Ward 531) Today, they are not allowed to play there as the school is a voting centre. Undeterred, they are playing on the road.