Polling for the crucial municipal corporation elections across Maharashtra faced early turbulence on Thursday after multiple Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs malfunctioned, disrupting voting in key cities including Dhule and Amravati. The technical failures caused delays, long queues, and sharp reactions from voters and candidates during the initial hours of polling.

Dhule Sees Widespread Voting Halt

In Dhule city, voting was brought to a standstill in several wards soon after polling began. EVMs reportedly stopped functioning in wards 4, 5, 10, 11, 15, 16, and 19, forcing election officials to temporarily suspend the voting process. The disruption lasted for nearly half an hour in some locations, leaving voters waiting inside and outside polling booths.

Election authorities acted swiftly after receiving complaints, dispatching technical teams to the affected polling stations. Officials said efforts were made on priority to rectify the faults and ensure that voting could restart without further interruptions.

Amravati Polling Delayed at Key Booth

A similar situation unfolded in Amravati, where polling at Girls High School polling booth number 23 was delayed due to a non-functional EVM. Voters who arrived early were forced to wait outside the booth for around 25 minutes as officials attempted to fix the issue.

Although polling eventually resumed once the machine was restored, the delay sparked protests from candidates and party workers, some of whom demanded that polling hours be extended to compensate for the lost time.

High-Stakes Civic Battle Across Maharashtra

Despite these setbacks, voting is continuing across all 29 municipal corporations in the state under tight security arrangements. Polling began at 7:30 am and will continue until 5:30 pm. The elections are being held for 2,869 seats across 893 wards, with over 3.48 crore voters eligible to cast their ballots.

The spotlight remains firmly on Mumbai, where the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election is being held after a long gap. The contest has turned into a high-voltage political battle between the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance and the reunited Thackeray cousins. In Mumbai alone, 1,700 candidates are contesting for 227 seats in India’s richest civic body, which has an annual budget exceeding ₹74,000 crore.

More than 25,000 police personnel have been deployed across Mumbai to ensure peaceful polling. Except for Mumbai, most other municipal corporations are voting through multi-member ward systems. Counting of votes is scheduled for January 16.