Navi Mumbai: The 2026 Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) elections witnessed a sluggish start on Thursday, January 17, with voter participation remaining low during the first half of the day. At 11.30, the overall voter turnout stood at just 19.68 per cent across the city.
Earlier, among the various wards, Vashi recorded the highest turnout at 9.67 per cent, followed by Digha at 9.10 per cent. Airoli saw 8.68 per cent voting, while Turbhe registered 8.72 per cent. Nerul reported a turnout of 8.01 per cent and Ghansoli 8.07 per cent. Belapur recorded 7.17 per cent, whereas Kopharkhairane witnessed comparatively lower participation at 6.61 per cent.
Tensions flare in Vashi and Panvel
Tensions flared at a polling booth in Ward No. 18 of Vashi after it was alleged that the BJP distributed voting slips bearing photographs of its candidates to voters. Voters were reportedly seen entering the polling booth with these slips.
Calling this a violation of the Model Code of Conduct, independent candidates and candidates from the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) created a ruckus outside the polling station and questioned the police over the issue. Following the commotion, police intervened and confiscated the slips and cards found in the possession of voters. The situation was later brought under control.
Chaos at a polling booth in Panvel Ward 19
In a separate incident in Panvel, unrest was reported from PMC’s Ward No. 19, where voting was temporarily disrupted at a polling booth located in a Gujarati-medium school. A clash erupted between workers of the BJP and the Maha Vikas Aghadi after allegations were made that a voter had cast a duplicate vote. However, currently, the situation is under control, and the police are conducting further investigation into it.
Polling stations and facilities
Polling is being conducted at 1,148 polling stations across 191 locations, including 180 polling stations set up in temporary sheds. All polling stations have been provided with essential facilities such as seating arrangements, drinking water, toilets, medical teams and emergency medicine kits. The civic body has also arranged 345 wheelchairs. chairs and 200 medical kits to assist voters.
Voters in NMMC
There are a total of 9,48,460 voters in the NMMC Election 2026. The electorate comprises 5,16,267 men, 4,32,040 women and 153 voters from the ‘other’ category. A total of 500 candidates are contesting across 28 municipal wards, of which Wards 1 to 27 will elect four corporators each, while Ward No. 28 will elect three members
To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/
