The voting for one of the most bustling civic body polls has come to a close. While the counting will commence on Friday for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections, exit polls done by Axis My India, the JVC, and Sakal anticipate a clean sweep by the ruling Mahayuti Alliance. The alliance consists of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP.
Exit poll done by Axis My India shows a massive win for the incumbent alliance, and predicts that it will win 131 out of the seats.
Similarly, the JVC exit poll that the alliance would secure 138 seats. Meanwhile, Sakal exit poll predicts that Mahayuti will bag a total of 119 seats.
Notably, majority of the marathi speakers have indicated a preference for the Shiv Sena (UBT). According to Axis My India's exit polls, only 30% 49% of Marathi speaking voters voted for the BJP, while 49% voted for Shiv Sena (UBT)
The civic body polls in Mumbai happened after a long gap of nine years and saw one of the most charged campaigning in the days leading up to voting.
However, the response of the voters was lukewarm. As 0f 3:30 p.m. on Thursday the voter turnout stood at 41.08%. The final proportion is estimated to be around 50%.
To make matters worse, many voters flagged issues regarding missing names from voter lists and other technical snags in the voting process.
Aditionally, claims and visuals of the indelible ink which is marked on a voter's index finger post being easily removable flooded social media platforms.
In the 2017 BMC elections for 227 seats, the BJP made significant gains in Mumbai, traditionally considered a Shiv Sena stronghold.
The BJP secured 82 seats, coming just two short of the undivided Shiv Sena, which led the tally. The Congress finished third with 31 seats, while the undivided Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Raj Thackeray's MNS were reduced to nine and seven seats, respectively.
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