"Making every effort to encourage voters": Returning Officer Krishna Jadhav on BMC poll preparations

The South Mumbai Returning Officer also discussed the arrangements made to ensure a smooth voting experience for voters in the municipal polls.

Speaking to ANI, Jadhav said, "We have a team in place that will assist senior citizens. They will take them to the voting compound...We encourage voters to come and cast their votes. We are making every effort to ensure this. For women, we have created pink booths. The pink polling station means that all the staff working at that booth will be women. The polling station will be decorated in pink, and the women working at that polling station will also wear pink sarees. So, we have introduced this new activity for the people here."

Meanwhile, Maharashtra is gearing up for massive civic polls across 29 municipal corporations, including the prestigious Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The stakes are high for the Thackeray brothers, as well as the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, following the ruling Mahayuti's resounding victory in last year's assembly elections.

The voting for these corporations will be held on January 15, and the votes will be counted on January 16. In the capital city, Mumbai, voting will take place in 227 wards, with approximately 1,700 candidates in the fray.

A total of 1,03,44,315 citizens are eligible to vote in the BMC polls. Of these, 55,16,707 are male voters, 48,26,509 are female voters, and the number of other voters is 1,099.

The undivided Shiv Sena was a strong force in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. It won 84 seats contesting in alliance with the BJP, which won 82 seats. However, the tables have turned this time following Shiv Sena's split in 2022. For the Thackeray brothers, Raj and Uddhav, these local body polls are a fight for regaining lost prestige. It will also test if the Thackeray surname still carries as much weight as it once did in the city and the state. (ANI)