Nagpur, Jan 15 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday arrived with his family to vote in the local body elections.

Speaking to reporters, Chief Minister Fadnavis said, “Our democracy is a unit that can be considered the fundamental cornerstone of democracy. Therefore, voting in it is very important. I urge everyone who believes in India’s democracy to go and vote.

“I believe that voting is not only your right but also your duty. If we want good governance in a democracy, we must go and vote. That is why I have also voted. I appeal to everyone to vote in large numbers, and not stay at home. I urge all people to participate in this high spirit of democracy.”

Speaking to reporters, Amruta Fadnavis, the Chief Minister’s wife, urged citizens to exercise their democratic rights. “It is an important part of democracy to exercise our right to vote. I believe everyone should come out and vote,” she said.

She further said that voters should carefully consider their choices.

“People should think before casting their votes and decide who is best for development. It is important to see which party is working for development and delivering benefits to citizens at their doorstep,” she told IANS.

BJP spokesperson Asif Bhamla expressed satisfaction over the smooth conduct of the polling process. “I am happy to see that the electoral process is running smoothly. However, it is concerning that many people are not fully utilising this opportunity. As a Mumbaikar, I hope more citizens will participate as the day progresses,” he said.

The Opposition has accused the ruling alliance of unleashing money power and has also blamed the State Election Commission (SEC) for the mismanagement of voter lists

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former Leader of Opposition in the state council, Ambadas Danve, alleged that the BJP was intoxicated with money power.

Danve, after casting his vote in Sambhajinagar, said, “I received calls until 4.00 a.m. about how the BJP has showered money across this city. The BJP is intoxicated and arrogant because of their wealth. BJP leaders talk grandly about development; if that is true, why do they need to rain down money? They should ask for votes based on their work, but that hasn’t happened.”

Meanwhile, polling for the 29 municipal corporations began at 7.30 a.m. and will conclude at 5.30 p.m.

While elections were originally scheduled for 2,869 seats, including 227 seats in the BMC, polling is now being held for 2,801 seats, as 68 candidates were elected unopposed. No voting will take place for these uncontested seats.

A total of 3.48 crore voters will decide the fate of 15,931 candidates, including 1,729 candidates in Mumbai alone. The counting of votes will take place on January 16.

According to the State Election Commission, arrangements have been made across 39,147 polling stations, equipped with 43,958 Control Units and 87,916 Ballot Units. In Mumbai, there are 10,111 polling stations with 11,349 Control Units and 22,698 Ballot Units.

Elections are being held in municipal corporations across major cities, including Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Kalyan-Dombivli, Vasai-Virar, Mira-Bhayandar, Solapur, Kolhapur, Amravati, Akola, Latur, Jalgaon, Dhule, Jalna, Chandrapur, Parbhani, Nanded-Waghala, Panvel, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Malegaon, Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad, Ichalkaranji, Ahilyanagar, and Ulhasnagar.

These elections are being conducted after a gap of more than six years, as the tenures of the municipal corporations ended between 2020 and 2023. Except for Mumbai, elections in the remaining 28 corporations are being held under the multi-member ward system, while Mumbai follows a single-member ward system.

–IANS

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