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Vishal Dadlani Slams "Shameful" Low Voter Turnout in Mumbai BMC Polls

Singer Vishal Dadlani expressed deep disappointment and called it "shameful" after witnessing minimal public presence at a Mumbai polling booth during the BMC elections. He revealed that this sight has led him to stop asking people to vote, emphasizing every Indian should feel pain seeing such apathy. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections recorded a slow start with only a 7.12 per cent voter turnout by 9:30 AM. Early data showed nearly twice as many men as women had cast their votes.

Key Points: Vishal Dadlani Upset Over Low Voter Turnout in BMC Polls

  • Dadlani criticizes low voter presence
  • He has stopped urging people to vote
  • BMC polls see slow start with 7.12% turnout
  • Male voters outnumber female voters nearly 2 to 1
2 min read

BMC Polls: Vishal Dadlani upset over low "public presence" at booth, calls it "shameful"

Singer Vishal Dadlani calls low public presence at Mumbai polling booth "shameful" and says he has stopped asking people to vote.

"I've stopped asking people to vote... it's so shameful. - Vishal Dadlani"

Mumbai, January 15

Singer and music composer Vishal Dadlani, who arrived Thursday morning at a polling booth in Mumbai to cast his vote, shared his disappointment over the low "public presence" at the booth during the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections.

After casting his vote, Dadlani spoke to the media outside the polling station and expressed that it was "shameful" to see so little "public presence" at the booth and also mentioned that because of this, he has now stopped "asking people to vote."

"I've stopped asking people to vote. What I'm seeing here is that there's hardly any public presence. There are more officials inside; it's so shameful. Every Indian should feel pain seeing this. If we don't take care of our country, if we don't take responsibility for it, then what's happening will continue to happen...," he said.

Talking about the importance of elections and democracy, Dadlani added, "Hopefully, whoever wins will hold the elections on time. This is very important for the country, for democracy. But given the state of our city in the last few days, the hope is that things will improve."

Meanwhile, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections recorded a slow start on Thursday, with only a 7.12 per cent voter turnout recorded till 9:30 AM. However, these early trends have shown almost double the number of male voters casting their vote in comparison to women.

The highest voter turnout was recorded in Ward number 18 in Mumbai city at 11.57 per cent. Whereas, ward no 162 recorded the lowest turnout at 1.68 per cent.

A total of 7,36,996 voters have cast their votes out of a total 1,03,44,315. According to official data released by the State Election Commission (SEC), nearly twice as many men as women have cast their votes. 4,54,539 men have cast their vote in BMC elections, compared to 2,82,433 women.

Polling began at 7:30 am on Thursday, January 15, and will continue until 5:30 pm. The counting of votes is scheduled to take place on Friday, January 16.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
While I understand his frustration, stopping to ask people to vote is not the solution. Celebrities have a huge platform and should use it to encourage civic duty, not give up. The low female turnout is especially concerning. We need to do better.
A
Aman W
BMC elections directly affect our daily lives more than any other. The local corporator is the one you call when there's a drainage problem. If we don't vote, we have no right to complain later. Jago Mumbai!
S
Sarah B
The gender gap in voting is stark and tells its own story. Are polling booths not safe or accessible enough for women? Or is there a lack of awareness? This needs to be addressed urgently for a truly representative democracy.
K
Karthik V
Maybe people are disillusioned. They feel their vote doesn't matter or that all candidates are the same. But that's a dangerous mindset. We have to participate to change the system, not boycott it. Good on Vishal for speaking up.
N
Nisha Z
It was a working day, Thursday. Many people might go in the evening. But still, the initial numbers are pathetic. We need holiday for local body elections or better options like postal ballot for professionals. The system must adapt.

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