Low turnout in Mumbai amid complaints of slow voting

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 saw low voter turnout, plagued by complaints of missing names, inadequate facilities, and slow voting procedures

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.

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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). Among the other seats, Palghar recorded 54.32% polling, Nashik 51.16%, Bhiwandi 48.89%, Dhule 48.81%, Mumbai North 46.91%, Mumbai North Central 47.32%, Mumbai North East 48.67%, Mumbai North West 49.79%, Mumbai South 44.22%, Mumbai South Central 48.26% and Thane 45.38%, shows the EC data.

The western State which went to polls in five phases, sends 48 MPs to the Lower House, second only to Uttar Pradesh’s 80.

“We came to the booth at 12.30 p.m., and now it is already 1.30 p.m. I don’t understand how long we need to wait. There is no proper seating arrangement, only three booths and so many people waiting,” said Sneha Kumar (22), a first-time voter waiting in line to cast her vote in Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum cluster.