Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Polling for municipal corporations across the state, which began at 7.30 am on Wednesday, concluded amid disruptions caused by malfunctioning Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at several centres. In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, voters at multiple polling stations were forced to wait for up to one-and-a-half hours during the day, leading to inconvenience and confusion.
At the Gujarati Kanya Vidyalaya polling centre, voting remained completely suspended for nearly an hour after an EVM developed a technical fault. A similar delay of around one-and-a-half hours was reported at polling room number five in the Shahaganj area. Election officials said the time lost due to the disruption was compensated by extending polling hours wherever required. Despite this, several voters expressed displeasure, and some reportedly left without casting their votes. The administration appealed to such voters to return and participate in the polling process. In Kharakuwa prabhag number 15, the EVM remained non-functional for about an hour, briefly disrupting voting. Repeated instances of EVM malfunction during the day raised concerns among citizens regarding the smooth conduct of the polling process. Meanwhile, police commissioner Pravin Pawar said polling in the city was largely peaceful and conducted under strict police vigil. He said 25 to 30 mobile phones were seized as carrying mobiles inside polling booths is prohibited. Complaints related to alleged cash distribution were verified by the police, but no offence was registered till the end of polling, he added.