PCMC Elections 2026: EVM Machines Down For Over An Hour In Thergaon; Pimpri-Chinchwad Voters Face Delays

Pimpri-Chinchwad: Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at a polling centre in Ward No. 23 (Thergaon Gaonthan, Padwal Nagar) of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) remained non-functional for over an hour on Thursday, causing inconvenience and frustration among voters.

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The malfunction was reported at the PCMC-run Yashwantrao Chavan School polling centre, where EVMs reportedly broke down. As a result, voting was disrupted, with long queues forming outside the affected rooms. Several voters were seen waiting in the open under the sun.

An elderly woman waiting at the polling centre said, “I have been standing here for the last 45 minutes. It is very sunny, and officials are not even telling us what is happening. This is very poor management.”

Residents and candidates from Ward No. 23 have demanded immediate intervention by the PCMC Election Department and the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC). However, as of the time of filing this report, neither authority had issued an official response regarding the EVM malfunction.

Ward No. 23 is considered a high-stakes ward, as almost all major political parties are contesting the elections here. For Seat A, candidates from the Congress, Shiv Sena, Shiv Sena (UBT), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are in the fray, along with three independent candidates.

Seat B has four contestants -- one each from the BJP, NCP, Shiv Sena, and the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi. Seat C is witnessing a three-cornered contest between candidates from the BJP, Shiv Sena, and the NCP. Meanwhile, Seat D has five candidates contesting the election, including representatives from Shiv Sena (UBT), the BJP, the NCP, the Congress, and an independent candidate.

The issue comes amid concerns over sluggish voter turnout in the ongoing civic polls. Six hours after polling began for the PCMC Elections 2026, voter turnout stood at 28.15% by 1.30 pm, with 4,82,537 voters having cast their ballots across the city. Observers noted that the pace of voting remained slower than expected. Reports of EVM-related issues have also emerged from other areas, including Nigdi and Chinchwad, adding to voter concerns.

The PCMC elections are being held after a gap of nearly nine years and are being closely contested between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the unified Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The last municipal elections were held in 2017, when the BJP won a majority. The elected council’s term ended in March 2022, following which the civic body has been under administrative rule.

Pimpri-Chinchwad has an electorate of 17,13,891 voters across 32 wards and 128 corporator seats. Election officials have expressed hope that voter turnout will improve during the late afternoon and evening hours and have urged citizens to exercise their democratic right to ensure a transparent and representative electoral process.