Congress candidate Asha Deepak Kale won a decisive victory in Ward 183 of Dharavi. She defeated Shiv Sena's Vaishali Shewale by a margin of 1,450 votes. Vaishali Shewale is the sister-in-law of former MP Rahul Shewale.
Congress Strengthens Position in Central Mumbai
In another significant win, Congress candidate Ashraf Azmi secured Ward 165 in Kurla West. This victory reinforces the party's foothold in central Mumbai wards. Both results demonstrate Congress's ability to challenge established rivals in urban strongholds.
Voter Turnout Declines in Mumbai Civic Polls
The Mumbai civic polls recorded a voter turnout of 52.94%. This figure is down from 55.53% in the 2017 elections, as officials confirmed on Friday. Among the city's 227 wards, Ward 114 in suburban Bhandup saw the highest turnout at 64.53%. Ward 227 in south Mumbai's Colaba reported the lowest turnout at 20.88%.
Over 1.03 crore eligible voters were registered in the metropolis. Just over half exercised their franchise on Thursday between 7:30 am and 5:30 pm, according to civic officials. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation declared the final voter turnout more than 15 hours after polling concluded.
Counting of Votes and Election Details
Counting of votes is scheduled to begin at 10 am at 25 designated counting centres across Mumbai. The election for the 227-member BMC is being held after a long gap, making it a key political contest. The BMC manages India's richest municipal corporation with a budget of Rs 74,400 crore. Nearly 1,700 candidates are in the fray this time.
The previous BMC elections were held in 2017 with a turnout of 55.53%. The term of the elected body ended in March 2022.
