Mumbai: Polling for the high-stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections began at 7:30 am on Thursday, January 15, 2026, ending nearly four years without an elected civic body in Mumbai.
Early morning queues were witnessed across the city’s 227 wards as voters turned out to cast their ballots for around 1,700 candidates contesting the civic polls.
However, the voting process was marred by technical glitches and administrative issues, with several voters reporting difficulties in downloading voter slips and locating their names at polling booths. Despite having their names registered, many voters claimed the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) website was showing 'data not available,' leaving them confused and frustrated at help desks set up outside polling stations.
Voters Took To X Expressing Displeasure
Anger over the issue spilled onto social media platform X, where users slammed the SEC for the website outage on a crucial voting day. In one post, Anish Gawande, NCP-SP national spokesperson, wrote, “Absolute circus: mahasecvoterlist.in crashed when Mumbai needs it most. Voters stuck at polling booths hunting for names in dusty printed lists like it’s 1995. This is Digital India?” He tagged the Maharashtra State Election Commission, demanding urgent action.
In another post, Anish highlighted broader problems across the state, alleging that voters were unable to find their names on physical voter lists as well. “Booths have been merged. Names have been shifted. My name is on one booth, my parents are on another booth in a fully separate location. What a goddamn shame,” he wrote.
Several other users echoed similar complaints, stating that the SEC website was down and that voters were being turned away from polling stations due to the absence of voter slips or confusion over booth allocation. Some voters said they were forced to search through printed electoral rolls manually, leading to delays and inconvenience.
Meanwhile, the state government has declared a public holiday to encourage participation among Mumbai’s 1.03 crore eligible voters. The State Election Commission has deployed over 64,000 staffers and set up more than 10,000 polling stations across the city.
Security arrangements remain tight, with over 28,000 police personnel deployed to ensure a smooth and fair voting process. Voters are also being assisted through modern facilities, including women-managed 'Pink Booths' and special arrangements for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
Voting will continue until 5:30 pm today. The Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will then be shifted to secure zonal centres, with counting scheduled to begin on January 16 at 10:00 am. Final results are expected by the evening.
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