Municipal polls across Maharashtra hit by clashes, bogus voting allegations and EVM glitches

Mumbai: Voting for 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra on Thursday was marred by sporadic clashes, allegations of bogus voting and cash distribution, and technical glitches in electronic voting machines (EVMs).

Officials, however, said Mumbai — the largest civic body and the keenly watched contest — witnessed no major untoward incident. Only minor violations related to the model code of conduct were reported in the financial capital, a police official said.

EVM malfunctions were reported from several places, including Nagpur, Amravati, Shirgaon, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Kanya Vidyalaya), Akola (Pink polling centre) and Dhule, the official said.

Complaints of bogus voting emerged from Sangli, Virar, Thane’s Kajuwadi area, Malegaon (Ward 9), Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Ward 24), Pune (Wards 3 and 40), Ahilyanagar and Pimpri Chinchwad’s Golande School. At the Golande School polling station, chaos erupted after rumours spread that voting had been halted due to bogus voting.

Similar allegations were raised by multiple groups in Pune and Ahilyanagar, the official added.

Clashes were reported in several districts. In Amravati, Shiv Sena candidates clashed with another group before police intervened. In Virar’s Manvel Pada polling station, BJP workers were involved in a scuffle that included verbal abuse of a voter. A confrontation between Shiv Sena and BJP workers was also reported at Deolali polling station in Nashik.

Tension flared in Ichalkaranji after BJP and Shiv Sena (UBT) groups accused each other of distributing money. In Dhule, an EVM was damaged during a clash between two groups, forcing polling in Ward 18 to be suspended for over an hour until a replacement machine was installed.

In Akola, candidates from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the BJP confronted each other, with supporters engaging in heated arguments. A physical fight broke out between AIMIM and Congress workers in Solapur, while Bhandup witnessed a clash between candidates of Shiv Sena and Shiv Sena (UBT).

In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, supporters of rival candidates clashed, leaving some people seriously injured.

Meanwhile, a case was registered against the husband of a BJP candidate after a photograph of an EVM taken while he was voting went viral on social media, the official said.