Despite an energetic campaign for 13 highly contested seats in the fifth and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) saw low voter turnout, plagued by complaints of missing names, inadequate facilities, and slow voting procedures, with the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress raising concerns.
Voters in several parts of the country’s financial capital reported waiting in long lines for over an hour because of the slow voting pace. Many left without casting their vote due to the lengthy wait, compounded by the humid and scorching temperatures.
Maharashtra had recorded 49.01% average polling as of 6 p.m., the lowest among all States which voted on Monday, lower than the 55.38% turnout in 2019. Of the 13 constituencies spread across the Mumbai region and north Maharashtra, the highest turnout was at Dindori in Nashik district at 57.06%, while the lowest was in Kalyan in Thane district at 41.70%, according to the provisional data from the Election Commission (EC).
Congress leader Muzaffar Hussain alleged names of several voters from Mira Road-Bhayandar and Thane were missing from the electoral rolls. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray and his son Aaditya criticised the poll body for the slow pace of voting in Mumbai, alleging that EC officials were delaying voting in areas where his party traditionally received more votes.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis quickly responded to the complaints and urged the EC to address the complaints of the slow voting process in the city.
Confusion over usage of mobile phones also persisted throughout the day with official orders disallowing handsets within 100 metres of the polling booth.
Meanwhile, several prominent persons, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Union Minister Piyush Goyal, industrialists Ratan Tata and Mukesh Ambani and his wife Nita Ambani, Anil Ambani, actor Akshay Kumar, who cast his first vote after having received Indian citizenship, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and cricketers Ajinkya Rahane and Suryakumar Yadav, stepped out to exercise their franchise in the metropolis.
Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das, Tata Sons Chairman N. Chandrasekaran, former Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik, actor Janhvi Kapoor, actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar and Marathi theatre actor Prashant Damle also cast their votes.
