BMC election Live: Sharad Pawar casts vote, BJP confident about win

Hyderabad Feb 21 : The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls got underway on Tuesday, with 2,275 candidates in 227 municipal wards in the fray. The vote is expected to be a referendum on the BJP-led Devendra Fadnavis government. With all four main parties – Shiv Sena, BJP, Congress and NCP – striking out on their own, each is looking at these elections with an eye on the next big one, the 2019 assembly polls. Besides, there are parties such as the MNS, which is fighting for relevance in state polity, and the AIMIM, which is trying to register its presence in Maharashtra.

Watch this space as HT brings to you the latest updates on the polling day:

11.43am: BJP’s Shaina NC was able to vote after authorities helped her with the formalities

11.33am: BJP leader Shaina NC not allowed to vote as her name was missing from the list: ANI

11.14am:Shiv Sena’s Manohar Joshi casts his vote at a polling booth in Shivaji Park. (Vijayanand Gupta/HT)

11.14am: There are 91.8 lakh registered voters in Mumbai who will vote across 7,297 booths.

11.12am: Mumbai sees 8.07% voting till 9.30 am

10:48am: MNS chief Raj Thackeray arrives with his family to vote at the Balmohan Vidyamandir inDadar. (Pratik Chorge/HT)

10:17am: Close to 45% citizens are not aware of the candidates contesting for the 2017 municipal elections in their respective wards whereas 30% of them don’t even know which ward they belong, a study shows. A survey of over 5000 families conducted by students of R D & S H National College in Bandra shows that there’s still much to be done to reach 100% awareness about voting in the city.

10:04am: NCP’s Sharad Pawar arives at Mahalaxmi Centre along with his granddaughter to cast his vote.

10:00am: The BJP expressed confidence of securing a majority in the 2017 BMC polls, despite facing a stiff competition from its ally Shiv Sena. “This time the BJP will definitely get a majority, the people are with us and we have a commitment with the people,” BJP leader Kirit Somaiya told ANI.

9:41am: This is the first election in which the state election commission is putting up boards with the information about candidates’ assets and cases against them on a board, right at the polling centres.

9.11am: Actor Rekha and filmmaker Zoya Akhtar after casting votes. Bollywood stars have been campaigning for the BMC to ensure that Mumbaikars vote in large numbers.

9.06am: Visually challenged Vijaykumar Sanjgire, 80, with his sister, after casting vote at Balmohan Vidyamandir, Dadar

9.04am: Congress candidate and sitting corporator Pravin Chheda does a recce of polling booths in ward number 32 in Ghatkopar.

8.59am: HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh casts his vote.

8:55am: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday cast his vote at a local school in Nagpur. The local body polls would be witnessing a high-pitch battle between the BJP, the Shiv Sena, the Congress, the MNS and the NCP.