15 January,2026 03:56 PM IST | Mumbai | Madhulika Ram Kavattur
People in queue waiting for their chance to vote. Pic/Atul Kamble
Several voters on the day of the BMC election 2026 faced difficulties at a polling centre in Andheri on Thursday, with complaints of missing names and inadequate arrangements, leading to long delays and inconvenience, especially for senior citizens.
Rasbihari B. Lalwani, who had visited the Jamnabai school in Andheri to cast his vote, had been stuck along with his elderly parents at the polling centre for 2 hours, as his and his parents' numbers were not found at the centre.
Lalwani, while briefing about the incident, said, "My parents are 75 plus, and no one helped us; they were not provided any seating arrangement. I had to look for something myself. After talking to multiple officers, after about 2 hours of running around, they finally looked for the names manually and found the names."
"Around 60-70 per cent of people around when I was at the centre were facing the same issues," Lalwani further added.
Following the incident, Lalwani was told by the officers at the centre that they had not received much training and were themselves facing issues at the booth.
Mumbai witnessed a measured start to polling on Thursday as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections 2026 got underway, with voter turnout recorded at 6.98 per cent till 9.30 am, according to the BMC.
Polling began at 7:30 am across the city, with voters gradually arriving at polling booths in various wards. Early turnout was largely driven by senior citizens, morning walkers, and first-time voters, particularly in residential neighbourhoods.
Voting in 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra began on Thursday morning with a spotlight on Mumbai, where the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is locked in an intense battle with the reunited Thackeray cousins for control of India's largest and richest civic body.
Polling for 2,869 seats spread across 893 wards in these municipal corporations began amid tight security at 7.30 am and will conclude at 5.30 pm. A total of 3.48 crore voters are eligible to decide the fate of 15,931 candidates.
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