In a significant move that marks the official commencement of intense campaigning, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) on Saturday released the final list of prabhag-wise polling booth locations for the upcoming civic elections. This crucial step sets the stage for micro-level political mobilisation across the city.
Polling Infrastructure: The Key Battlegrounds
The civic body will establish a total of 3,004 polling booths to cater to Nagpur's expanded electorate of 24,83,112 voters. This includes 12,26,690 male and 12,56,166 female voters. The spotlight falls on Prabhag 29, which has emerged as the largest constituency with a substantial 98 polling booths, signalling a dense and highly significant voter base that will demand extensive logistical planning.
It is closely followed by Prabhags 5 and 21, each with 96 booths. Prabhag 36 will have 94 booths, and Prabhag 2 will have 91. These prabhags with the highest booth counts are anticipated to be the epicentres of high-intensity political contests, requiring massive efforts in turnout management and voter outreach from candidates and parties.
The Smaller Prabhags and Electoral Significance
At the opposite end, Prabhag 38 has the fewest booths at just 60, reflecting its smaller electorate and its unique status as the only prabhag that will elect three corporators, while all others will elect four. Prabhag 26 follows with 64 booths, and Prabhag 3 with 65. Prabhags 9 and 24 have 66 booths each.
Interestingly, several politically active zones fall in the mid-range bracket of 70 to 85 booths. This includes Prabhags 16 and 17 (88 each), and clusters like Prabhags 33 (85), 6 (82), 22 and 34 (81 each), and 35 (83). These constituencies are expected to witness closely fought battles without the extreme logistical scale of the top-tier prabhags.
Rising Voter Base and Political Stakes
The booth distribution underscores a sharp rise in Nagpur's democratic footprint. Compared to the 2017 civic polls, which had about 20.93 lakh voters and 2,700 booths, the city has added nearly 3.9 lakh new voters in eight years. This growth means each polling booth is estimated to handle between 700 to 900 voters on average.
Municipal Commissioner Abhijeet Chaudhari approved the final booth list on Saturday. The next critical step is the publication of the booth-wise voters' list on December 27, which will enable candidates to launch precise, hyper-local campaigns ahead of the polling date on January 15.
Politically, the elections are a major test for the BJP, which aims to reclaim control of the NMC after winning three consecutive terms from 2007 to 2017. The general body was dissolved in March 2022, and the civic administration has been under an administrator since. As campaigning enters a decisive phase, the management of high-booth-count prabhags will be crucial, while smaller prabhags could see localised contests that might sway the overall balance of power in the corporation.
