Mumbai: As the high-stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections kicked off across Mumbai on Thursday, a technical snag at a polling booth in Lalbaug’s iconic Chiwda Gully caused major delays and frustration among early-morning voters.
The polling station, situated in one of South Mumbai’s most politically vibrant areas, saw a complete standstill when the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) failed to start at the scheduled 7:30 am opening time. While citizens had queued up well before dawn to exercise their franchise, the switch-on process hit a technical hurdle, leaving officials and voters in a state of limbo.
Troubleshooting & Delay
Polling officials on duty immediately initiated troubleshooting protocols to rectify the issue. For over 25 minutes, technical staff reportedly attempted to reboot the machine and check the power connections, but the unit remained non-functional. Following the failed troubleshooting attempts, a replacement EVM was installed at the polling station. Voting finally resumed at approximately 7:58 am, nearly half an hour behind schedule.
Sudhir Salvi, Secretary of Lalbaug Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal and Sena UBT leader, spoke to the media on the issue. Salvi told the media that he arrived at the polling station early around 7:15 am and found out that the EVM failed to start on time. "The EVM became functional at 7:58 am and I cast my vote at 7:59 am," said Salvi. "I've asked the polling officials if timing will be extended, compensating for the delay," he added.
A High-Stakes Day For Mumbai
The Lalbaug area is part of a larger political battleground in the 2026 BMC elections, which are being held after a four-year delay. With over 1.03 crore voters eligible to decide the fate of 227 wards, the State Election Commission (SEC) has deployed over 28,000 police personnel to maintain order.
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