Marathwada Civic Elections Witness Moderate Turnout with Late Afternoon Surge
Voters across five municipal corporations in Maharashtra's Marathwada region participated in civic elections on Thursday. Officials recorded an average turnout of approximately 45% by 3:30 pm. They expect final figures to surpass numbers from previous municipal polls.
District-Wise Polling Percentages Show Variation
Parbhani district reported the highest voter participation at 49% by the afternoon cutoff. Jalna followed closely with 46% turnout. Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Latur each recorded around 44% polling. Nanded-Waghala registered the lowest participation at 43%.
Polling activity experienced fluctuations throughout the day. However, evening hours brought long queues outside multiple polling booths in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. This indicated a significant late surge in voter engagement.
Smooth Process with Minor Confusion Among Voters
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar municipal commissioner and administrator G Sreekanth described the polling process as largely smooth. He reported no major issues during the day.
Adequate police arrangements were in place at sensitive and regular polling booths across the city. Some veteran voters expressed confusion about the new multi-ward voting system. Booth-level staff provided proper guidance to these individuals.
Several voters shared their enthusiasm after casting ballots. College student Sakshi Gore, a first-time voter, said she felt excited to witness different polling arrangements. "I was keen to touch the EVM machine to cast my vote. I took a selfie after exercising my franchise to share with my family and friends," she explained.
Counting Scheduled for Friday Morning
Election authorities confirmed that vote counting will begin at 10 am on Friday. Barring sporadic incidents, polling proceeded smoothly at the four other municipal corporations in Marathwada as well.
The elections mark an important democratic exercise for urban local bodies in the region. Officials remain optimistic about final participation numbers exceeding previous records.
