MUMBAI: The high-stakes battle for Mumbai and 28 other municipal corporations ended on Thursday with the voter turnout expected to cross 50%. The State Election Commission had yet to release the final figure till the time of going to press.
The fight for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, India’s richest civic body with a budget of ₹74,000 crore, is also a political make-or-break for Uddhav Thackeray whose party, the undivided Shiv Sena, had controlled the BMC for 26 years.
Thursday’s polls were marred by multiple complaints of parties using cash to bribe voters and that the indelible ink was not indelible at all; it could be erased with nail polish remover and hand sanitiser. Sporadic clashes were also reported, involving party workers of the BJP-Shiv Sena, Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).
On polling day, on Thursday, a day ahead of counting and the declaration of results, social media was flooded with videos of indelible ink being applied with marker pens, rather than the practice of brushing electoral ink to the nail of the index finger.
Opposition parties alleged it was a ploy by the ruling parties to get people to vote more than once, while the state election authorities clarified that markers have been used since 2011. State election commissioner Dinesh Waghmare claimed “fake narratives” were being spread against the use of markers and the action would be taken against those responsible.
But the opposition wasn’t convinced, with videos of hand sanitiser and acetone, more commonly known as “nail polish remover”, being used to wipe off the ink applied through Kores-made markers. One of these videos was posted by Maharashtra Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant, who demonstrated how the ink applied to his wife’s index finger had been removed using nail polish remover.
Uddhav cries foul
Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray held a press conference in the afternoon and alleged collusion between the State Election Commission (SEC) and ruling parties, to aid the latter. Terming it “malpractice”, Thackeray said it was the first time ever that the ink applied to the fingers of voters was removed using chemicals as common as nail polish remover and hand sanitiser. “This would allow some people to vote more than once. What has the SEC been doing for the last ten years to improve the system, when there were no elections held for various reasons?” charged Thackeray.
Malfunctioning electronic voting machines (EVMs) were also in focus as were multiple entries of voters. Many electoral wards in Dhule, Jalgaon, Amravati and Pune reported EVM malfunction, temporarily stalling the polling process.
The SEC admitted that 2% of EVMs had reported malfunctioning issues “as they were old”.
In Mira Road, polling agents from the Sena (UBT) complained of polling agents from the BJP wearing badges inside polling stations, displaying the names of the party’s candidates in these wards.
Complaints of missing voter names surfaced in Navi Mumbai and other municipal corporations. Even state forest minister Ganesh Naik was not immune. Naik and members of his family found their names missing from the Kopar Khairane booths where they had voted earlier, eventually locating them after visiting two polling stations.
Indelible ink inquiry
Addressing various complaints, Waghmare said an inquiry has been ordered into the charge that the indelible ink applied to voters’ fingers was being wiped off. He said claims of acetone being capable of removing the ink were false, and warned that anyone attempting to remove the ink or spread confusion among voters would face legal action.
He also said markers would not be used during the third phase of local body elections, when district councils and panchayat samitis will go to the polls on February 5.
CM rubbishes claims
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis ridiculed the opposition’s allegation relating to the indelible ink. “It is wrong to create a ruckus about everything and question constitutional entities every time. If there are complaints, the SEC should look into them for the impartial conduct of the elections,” he said.
BJP leader and state minister Ashish Shelar asked whether Uddhav Thackeray had sought permission to hold a press conference while voting was underway. “Thackeray should clarify whether he had permission to hold a press conference when the voting process had not ended. He has been doing this, time and again, from the Lok Sabha and assembly elections last year to the corporation election now. This is a violation of the code of conduct and the SEC should take cognisance of this. The poll body should also take note of his remarks against chief minister Devendra Fadnavis,” said Shelar, who was in charge of the BJP’s election campaign in Mumbai.
Shelar also demanded legal action against voters who tried to wipe off the indelible ink. “Did they do it with mala fide intentions of duplicate voting or did they want to create confusion among voters,” remarked, while addressing the media.
What’s at stake
The political stakes involved in these elections are particularly high. The 29 municipal corporations collectively have a budget of over ₹2 lakh crore, about 30% of the state budget. The BJP, which won 1,099 of the 2,736 seats last time, is now eyeing victory in at least half the 2,869 seats up for grabs this time.
In the first phase of local body polls to 288 semi-urban bodies, the party had bagged 48% seats and over 70% collectively with its allies the Shiv Sena and NCP led by Ajit Pawar. On the eve of the corporation elections, Fadnavis had said that the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance will have its mayor in at least 26 of the 29 corporations.
The tussle for the BMC turned fierce when the Thackeray cousins – Uddhav and Raj – joined forces and played the “Marathi Pride” card. They also played up the issue of Mumbai’s existence being in danger, alleging that there were forces that wanted to separate it from Maharashtra.
If exit polls are correct, the richest municipal body in the country, with an annual budget of ₹74,000 crore, could go to BJP-led Mahayuti. This would be a massive setback to the Thackerays, especially Uddhav, whose party, as the undivided Shiv Sena, ruled the BMC for nearly 26 consecutive years.
www.hindustantimes.com
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