Mumbai witnessed a voting turnout of 47.52% till 5 pm across its six Lok Sabha constituencies on Monday. This turnout comes alongside complaints of a slow polling process, non-functional Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), and names missing from voter rolls.
The EVM at the polling booth in Hiranandani Complex area in Powai in the North Central Mumbai constituency stopped functioning at 11:30 am, with actor-producer and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aadesh Bandekar claiming that voters had to wait in line for two hours till the machine was replaced. Besides Bandekar, actor Mukesh Rishi and filmmaker Kedar Shinde were among those in the queue at the booth. In Borivali, voters complained of names missing from the electoral list.
Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad, who is contesting from Mumbai North Central, said she was getting worrying reports from across Mumbai about people waiting for several hours in queues amid heat, and returning without casing their vote. Many people said they had never waited this long to vote before and the complaints came especially from the areas where the opposition’s MVA coalition has a strong presence, she claimed.”I request the @ECISVEEP and @CEO_Maharashtra to immediately address these complaints and also take immediate measures to improve the pace of voting,” she said on X while also demanding that the time for voting be increased by an hour.”I request the @ECISVEEP and @CEO_Maharashtra to immediately address these complaints and also take immediate measures to improve the pace of voting,” she said on X while also demanding that the time for voting be increased by an hour. Responding to this, the EC has stated that it takes time to verify identity cards, apply ink on fingers, and then record the vote.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray addressed a press conference and accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of deliberately delaying the poll process at the behest of the Narendra Modi government.
"I have seen that voters are going in huge numbers at the voting centre but due to inconvenience they had to go back. A lot of time is being taken inside so that they are not able to vote. I request all the voters that even if it takes time please go to the voting centres and cast your vote," Uddhav Thackeray said.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, however, said he first complained to the EC about the slow pace of voting in the city, and Thackeray was blaming the Modi government only because the opposition was staring at defeat. Thackeray was preparing the ground to face the results on June 4, Fadnavis added.
Music director Amit Trivedi said he couldn't cast vote today. “Voting is our constitutional right. Today I was denied that right and I feel helpless. Did this happen to anyone else? How.. and why??," he said in a post on X. Many reacted to his video, asking if he checked his EPIC number before going out to vote.
Key contests in Mumbai include Union minister Piyush Goyal against Bhushan Patil of Congress in Mumbai North, Sanjay Dina Patil of Shiv Sena (UBT) facing off against Mihir Kotecha of BJP in Mumbai North East, and Advocate Ujjwal Nikam of BJP challenging Varsha Gaikwad of Congress in Mumbai North Central, among others. Prominent personalities including industrialists Anil Ambani, Mukesh Ambani, Ratan Tata, film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Nana Patekar, Shreyas Talpade, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit, Hema Malini, Dharmendra, Sunny Deol, Ashok Saraf, and Prashant Damle cast their votes in Maharashtra's capital.