Veteran actor and film producer Salim Khan exercised his democratic right on Thursday morning. He cast his vote at a designated polling station in Mumbai. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections are currently underway across the city.
Bollywood Personalities Encourage Voter Turnout
Film director Rakesh Roshan also arrived at a polling booth in Mumbai to fulfil his civic duty. Several other prominent personalities from the film industry were seen turning up at various polling stations. They encouraged citizens to participate actively in the democratic process.
Widespread Polling Across Maharashtra
Polling is being held across 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra today. The elections follow a long and active campaign period. They hold significant importance for major urban centers including Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Nashik, and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
Key Political Alliances and Contests
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena are contesting together under the Mahayuti banner in most locations. Pune is a notable exception to this alliance. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is fighting the polls independently in many corporations. In Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, both factions of the NCP have united under a joint manifesto.
Election Scale and Logistics
According to the State Election Commission, approximately 3.48 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots in these elections. A total of 15,908 candidates are competing for 2,869 seats across 893 wards. To ensure smooth voting, authorities have established 39,092 polling centers across Maharashtra.
Polling commenced at 7:30 am on Thursday, January 15. It will continue until 5:30 pm in the evening. The counting of votes is scheduled to take place on the following day, Friday, January 16. Citizens are urged to participate in large numbers to shape their local governance.
