Confusion over voter records and the non-availability of voting slips caused disruptions at several polling booths in Mumbai during the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections on Thursday. Multiple voters reported mismatches between online voter information and booth-level lists, preventing them from casting their ballots. One Mumbai resident said the voter number available online did not correspond with records at the booth, forcing him to return without voting after waiting in long queues. He termed the situation an organisational lapse and expressed disappointment at being denied his right to vote despite reaching the designated polling station on time.
Similar issues were highlighted by Avinash Gowariker, brother of filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker, who visited a polling booth early to vote in the 2026 Maharashtra civic elections. Speaking to ANI, he said the overall arrangements were comfortable and orderly, but the absence of voting slips led to unnecessary delays. He explained that voters were forced to manually search for their serial numbers, increasing the time taken per voter. According to him, each vote took nearly five minutes, resulting in long queues and diminishing the enthusiasm of people who had arrived eager to participate in the democratic process.
Voting was also affected in parts of Mumbai due to technical problems with the election machinery. A voter speaking to IANS claimed she faced difficulties while voting for the BMC elections after booth officials informed her that the computer systems inside the polling station were not functioning. She further stated that an election officer told her the voter number did not match the records, causing major inconvenience. However, the news agency did not specify the ward or exact location of the incident, adding to the lack of clarity surrounding the issue.
Technical glitches were reported from outside Mumbai as well, particularly during polling for the Dhule Municipal Corporation. According to IANS, Electronic Voting Machines malfunctioned in wards 4, 5, 10, 11, 15, 16 and 19 on Thursday morning, January 15. Voting was halted for nearly 30 minutes after the machines stopped working, inconveniencing voters who had queued up early. Election authorities responded by immediately deploying technical teams to repair the machines, after which the voting process resumed. Polling for 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra is continuing under tight security until 5.30 pm.
EVM-related issues were also reported from Amravati and Mumbai’s Lalbaug area. In Amravati, voters were seen waiting outside a polling booth at Girls High School, polling station number 23, after the EVM reportedly shut down for around 15 minutes, according to Lokshahi. In Lalbaug’s Chiwda Gully, voting came to a standstill when the EVM failed to start at 7.30 am, delaying polling by over 25 minutes. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sudhir Salvi said the machine became functional at 7.58 am, allowing him to vote shortly after.