Serious allegations of electoral irregularities surfaced during polling in Nalasopara on Thursday, with voters and a journalist claiming instances of bogus voting, Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) malfunction, and violations of polling norms at a local polling centre. The alleged incidents were reported at Atoshri Vidyaniketan English School, located near Dhanubagh Lake, behind the water tank. A journalist present at the booth said he had been stationed there for over two and a half hours, during which multiple voters from Blocks 8, 9 and 10 complained that their votes had already been cast.
“Madam, I have been here for the last two and a half hours. In these two and a half hours, people from the 8th, 9th and 10th blocks are saying that their votes have already been cast,” the journalist said. He alleged that several women voters were visibly distressed upon arriving at the booth. “When we came here, the female voters were already crying. They said, ‘I did not cast my vote, but my vote has already been cast,’” he claimed. According to the journalist, polling officials failed to provide a clear explanation. “When I asked the officer how this is possible, he said the vote has already been cast. The lady replied, ‘I have just come here, so how did my vote get cast?’”
Similar complaints were reported across multiple blocks. Referring to Block No. 8, he said, “In block number 8, four votes were cast. A student sitting inside the polling booth told me, ‘Sir, four votes were cast and then we cancelled them.’” The situation reportedly worsened after repeated EVM issues, leading to a prolonged halt in voting. “The machine has stopped. They keep saying it will start in 10 minutes, but voting has been stopped for the last two hours,” the journalist said, adding that angry voters gathered outside the polling station raising slogans.
He also alleged violations of voting secrecy. “The officer is standing near the EVM and telling voters, ‘You pressed this, you pressed that.’ Voting is supposed to be secret—only the voter should know whom they voted for,” he said. Several voters reportedly claimed they were denied the right to vote despite producing valid identification. “My ID is original. I have my Aadhaar card and election card. If I did not cast my vote, how can someone cast it without my consent?” a voter was quoted as saying. The journalist further alleged incidents of cash distribution to influence voters in the region. “They were caught in Virar. In ward number 19 at Pilar also, people were caught,” he said, claiming that bags linked to the ‘Ladli Behen’ scheme were recovered. “Inside those bags, Rs 950 was found, clearly mentioned as Rs 950,” he alleged.
Appealing to voters, the journalist said, “If my appeal reaches the public—if you take Rs 500 and sell your vote, then you will only get potholes on the roads.” Election officials have not yet issued an official response to the allegations. The claims have, however, raised concerns over polling management and electoral integrity in Nalasopara.
In the last elections in 2015, the Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation had a total of 115 seats. In the civic elections held on June 14, 2015, the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi dominated the results with an overwhelming victory, winning 106 seats and securing full control of the municipal body. The Shiv Sena emerged a distant second with 5 seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party managed to win only 1 seat. Independents and other smaller parties together accounted for the remaining 3 seats.