Mumbai Civic Elections 2025: BMC Proposes Polling Booths Inside Large Housing Societies To Boost Voter Turnout; SEC To Review In All-Party Meet

Mumbai, Dec 10: In an effort to increase voter participation in Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has proposed setting up polling booths within large housing societies where substantial numbers of voters reside.

The proposal has been sent to the State Election Commission (SEC), which will take a final decision after discussions with all political parties in an upcoming meeting.

SEC To Consider Proposal After Consultation

According to State Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare, the BMC has formally sought permission to introduce this facility, citing its potential to significantly improve the city’s voting percentage.

He added that the move would especially benefit senior citizens, homemakers, and persons with disabilities, who would find it more convenient to vote within their residential premises.

He also highlighted that such booths would be safer from a security standpoint, as access would be limited to society residents.

Concerns Over Influence & Transparency

However, the SEC has not yet agreed to the proposal. The matter will be deliberated upon in the all-party meeting before any decision is taken. An SEC official noted that no polling booths were established inside housing societies during the last local body elections in 2017 — making this a first-of-its-kind step if approved.

Interestingly, media reports suggest that the SEC is cautious about allowing polling booths in housing societies due to concerns that society office-bearers might wield undue influence over voters.

During the last Assembly elections, 553 cooperative housing societies in Mumbai’s suburban district and 100 societies in the island city housed polling booths — an experiment that reportedly helped improve voter turnout.

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Final Decision Pending After All-Party Discussion

Even so, the SEC remains wary that close-knit community ties within societies could compromise transparency and fairness. To address these issues, the Commission plans to hold detailed consultations with representatives of all political parties before arriving at a final decision.

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