As Mumbai’s civic polls begin on Thursday (January 15), reports of political parties allegedly bribing voters have surfaced ahead of the BMC elections,
according to a TOI report. On Wednesday, several such incidents were reported across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, including a bribery FIR registered against four people at Khandeshwar police station in Navi Mumbai. From Saris to silver bowls, locals alleged leading partis were giving envelopes in a cash-for-votes scam. Moreover, videos were also shared on social media showing arguments between karyakartas over blatant disregard of the law. Similar incidents were allegedly reported from Dharavi, Kalina, Sion, Chembur, Borivli, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Vasai-Virar and Kalyan-Dombivli, TOI reported. Just two days before the polling, the Election Commission's flying squad seized Rs 10 lakh cash from two-wheelers in Nalasopara East. Several voters also expressed that they do not want to vote due to political disillusionment. Further, what happened on Wednesday further weakened their faith in a free and fair election process. Also Read: Mumbai BMC Polls Today: Voting Time, Docs To Carry, Key Candidates, Result Date – All You Need To Know
'Rules Are Being Violated'
Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Raut stressed that the rules are being violated as the governing party is distributing money and saris to get votes.
"Campaigning is over, but the governing party is doing something else... Saris are being distributed, money is being distributed... Rules are being violated. Illegally obtained money is being distributed...," he added, as per the TOI report.
While Congress's Sachin Sawant said, "Marathi people need to recognise this. If corrupt people are not stopped today, democracy will continue to be destroyed. People from the BJP in Shant Nagar Jan Kalyan in Mumbai are distributing mixers."
State Election Commissioner Takes Note Of Incident
State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare said that he held a meeting with representatives of political parties on Wednesday.
"One of the issues they raised was money distribution. The IG (law & order) was also present. We have flying squads and surveillance teams in place. We have assured the parties of immediate action if there is any such incident," he said.
Mumbai BMC Elections 2026
Mumbai is currently voting in the high-stakes BMC elections 2026, with the BJP-led Mahayuti and the united Thackeray front locked in a fierce fight for control of India’s richest civic body.
Polling is being held across 227 wards from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, with around 1,700 candidates in the fray and over 1.03 crore eligible voters expected to decide the city’s civic future. Security has been tightened across Mumbai with more than 25,000 police personnel deployed, along with barricades and vehicle checks.
