Maharashtra to vote today in high-stakes poll across 29 Municipal Corporations: Key issues, alliances and more | Details

Maharashtra is all set to vote for the high-stakes election of 29 municipal corporations on January 15. With the vote counting scheduled for January 16.

Polls will be conducted for 2,869 seats of the state spread across 893 wards. The elections will decide the fate of 15,931 candidates, including 1,700 in Mumbai and 1,166 in Pune. A total of 3.48 crore voters are eligible to vote in the polls.

Key municipal corporations going to polls include Mumbai, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Kolhapur, Vasai-Virar, Kalyan-Dombivli, Nagpur, Solapur, Amravati, Thane, Parbhani, etc.

The results of the elections will be declared on January 16.

In a press release on Wednesday, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said that distribution of EVMs and other election materials was carried out at 23 divisional centres in the metropolis.

Each counting centre has been equipped with secure strong rooms for the custody of election materials, and arrangements have been made to ensure transparency during the counting process.

It also said that several measures have been taken up across Mumbai to encourage voter participation, including decoration of polling stations, setting up of pink booths, selfie points and media facilitation centres.

For 26 uninterrupted years, the civic body has been held by the undivided Shiv Sena. In the last elections BJP won 82 seats to the Shiv Sena’s 84, in 20217.

Campaigning for the polls concluded on Tuesday, with Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis holding a roadshow as he campaigned for the Nagpur Municipal Corporation elections.

The key issues in BMC elections range from monsoon waterlogging to traffic congestion and pressure on public transport, HT reported earlier.

These include civic issues, including persistent potholes on the roads, waterlogging in low-lying areas of Mumbai, depleting air quality in the city and the problem of overcrowding in public transport.

Among the slew of promises included Mahayuti's promise of 50 per cent concession for women on BEST bus travel and Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS's promise of ₹1,500 monthly allowance for women domestic workers.