Mumbai, Dec 3 – The Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) announced on Wednesday evening that the first phase of the nagar parishad and nagar panchayat polls, held on Tuesday, saw a turnout of 67.63 percent.
The day was marred by clashes, particularly between partners in the Mahayuti alliance, and accusations of bogus voting.
Initially, the SEC had scheduled elections in 246 nagar parishads and 42 municipal panchayats, but polling was postponed in some locations. On Tuesday, voting took place only in 222 nagar parishads and all 42 nagar panchayats.
The remaining 154 wards of 76 nagar parishads and nagar panchayats were deferred. Those votes will occur on December 20, with counting on December 21.
An SEC official noted that because local‑body polls require compilation of voter percentages at the district collector level before being forwarded to the commission, the official figures appeared later than usual.
Murgud Nagar Parishad in Kolhapur district recorded the highest turnout at 88.43 percent, while Besa Piplai in Nagpur district had the lowest at 51.33 percent.
The first phase has already been clouded by controversy over the poaching of leaders between allies and the opposition, and the violence over alleged bogus voters as parties target one another across constituencies.
In Hingoli, Shiv Sena MLA Santosh Bangar came under fire after a video surfaced showing him inside a polling booth at Kalamnuri’s bazaar. The footage supposedly depicts Bangar guiding a woman voter while she pressed the EVM, chanting slogans in support of late Bal Thackeray and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and using his mobile phone. All these actions are forbidden inside polling booths under election law, the official added. The District Election Officer confirmed an FIR has been lodged against Bangar.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis sharply criticized the incident, insisting elected officials must set an example by adhering to the rules. A member of Bangar’s family is contesting the polls in Hingoli.
Tensions also flared in Mahad from Raigad district, where supporters of ruling NCP leader Sushant Jabre and Shiv Sena Minister Bharat Gogawale’s son Vikas Gogawale clashed outside a polling station. Both sides blamed the other for initiating the fight, with accusations of Vikas brandishing a revolver.
In Jalgaon’s Muktainagar, Union Minister Raksha Khadse confronted polling officials after a BJP candidate was barred near a booth. She demanded equal application of rules to all candidates and suggested that officials unable to manage the situation step aside.
Furthermore, political rivals Eknath Khadse and Shiv Sena MLA Chandrakant Patil confronted each other at another booth, each accusing the other of obstructing voters and intimidating citizens.
On Wednesday, Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) stated that the nagar parishad and panchayat elections were mired in controversy and administrative chaos following a decision by the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court to postpone all vote counting until December 21. The court order requires the results of the votes cast on December 2 to remain withheld for 19 days, to be announced together with the polls that were already deferred to December 20.
Thackeray’s camp described the entire process as a “complete farce” (khelkhondoba) and a symptom of “slack governance and anarchy,” accusing both the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the SEC of corruption and procedural irregularity.
In a scathing editorial in the party’s mouthpiece Saamana, the Thackeray camp claimed the process is characterized by “chaos, confusion, and suspicion,” citing irregularities ranging from voter lists to the actual voting procedure.
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.
