BMC Election Counting: BJP-Shiv Sena Mahayuti Leads in 90+ Wards as Votes Roll In
Voting for the BMC results has begun. The alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena Mahayuti is dominating according to the latest trends. The final result will be announced today.
Aadrika Tayal 
New Delhi (India) January 16: Counting is underway in 23 centres in Mumbai and as recent figures suggest the BJP-Shiv Sena Mahayuti coalition is in the lead in over 90 wards.
Counting Progress & ECI Guidelines
Officials said that counting was in strict accordance with the rules of the Election Commission of India and has been enacted in order to ensure safety, traffic law and order.
The Municipal Commissioner had approved the detailed plan for voting, they said. BMC elections saw corporators be elected in 227 wards. It is the largest and richest municipal corporation in India.
New EC Rule: Only 2 Wards Counted at a Time
This year the Election Commission introduced a major procedural change for counting in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Unlike previous years, wherein votes were counted from all wards in the polling place – sometimes 10 wards – only two wards will be counted at one time.
Once the counting for those two wards is completed, counting for the next two wards will begin. This means that at any given time counting will occur for only two wards.
Voter Turnout at 52.94%, Close to 2017 Levels
The voter turnout in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections was 52.94 per cent, which is close to the 55.53 per cent a few years earlier in 2017.
BJP contested 136 seats in the BMC while the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) contested 89 seats. They did not contest candidates in wards 145, 167, 211 and 212; they had amicable contests in ward 34, 173, and 225. On the other hand, the Shiv Sena or UBT 164 wards, the MNS or Maharashtra Navnirman Sena 52 wards and the NCP or Sarad Pawar 12 wards.
Shaina NC: Mahayuti Victory, Uddhav's Excuses Over
Shaina NC, the leader of Shiv Sena, said she trusted the Mahayuti to win the elections to the civic bodies of Maharashtra. Shaina labeled the exit polls a “trailer” and stressed the development of progress made by the state ruling alliance.
"Udhhav Thackeray should change his script writer and find some other excuse... The verdict of loss and win is decided by the public. The message is that the opportunity belongs to those who work on the ground, and those who work from home are made to stay at home," she said.
