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Gadkari Confident of BJP Win in Maharashtra Civic Polls, Urges High Voter Turnout

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari cast his vote in Nagpur and expressed strong confidence in a Bharatiya Janata Party victory in the ongoing Maharashtra municipal corporation elections. He appealed to citizens to exercise their franchise in large numbers and reiterated the party's commitment to making Nagpur a cleaner, pollution-free city. Early voting data from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls showed a slow start with a significantly higher turnout among male voters compared to females. The elections are a high-stakes battle, particularly in Mumbai and Pune, where the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance faces the united Thackeray faction.

Key Points: Nitin Gadkari Votes, Predicts BJP Victory in Maharashtra Civic Polls

  • Polling for 29 municipal corporations underway
  • Gadkari highlights BJP's civic work under Modi & Fadnavis
  • Early BMC data shows low female voter turnout
  • Key battle in Mumbai & Pune between Mahayuti & Thackeray camp
3 min read

"Hopeful that BJP will win election": Nitin Gadkari casts vote in Nagpur

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari casts his vote in Nagpur, expresses confidence in BJP's win in Maharashtra municipal elections, and appeals for high voter turnout.

"I am hopeful that BJP will win the election... I appeal to the people to come out and cast their votes in large numbers. - Nitin Gadkari"

Nagpur, January 15

As polling begins across 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday expressed confidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party would emerge victorious in the local body elections, while appealing to citizens to exercise their right to vote in large numbers.

Polling began today at 7.30 am and will continue until 5.30 pm, with vote counting scheduled to begin on Friday, January 16.

Gadkari said he was hopeful of a BJP win and reiterated the party's commitment to improving civic infrastructure and environmental standards in the city.

"I am hopeful that BJP will win the election. We will work on our resolve to make Nagpur the cleanest and most pollution-free city in the world. Voting is our fundamental right, and we should use it. I appeal to the people to come out and cast their votes in large numbers. We need to improve the system of voting, only then will the voting percentage increase," Gadkari told reporters.

He further added, "Certainly, in the last 15 years, whether it's Mumbai or Nagpur, under the leadership of PM Modi in the centre, and Devendra ji in Maharashtra, and our party in Nagpur, we have done excellent work, and the public has witnessed all this work firsthand. We will win by a record margin. That is my belief."

Meanwhile, Maharashtra minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashish Shelar also expressed confidence, suggesting that a Mahayuti victory (BJP-Shiv Sena) would "teach a lesson to the corrupt party of Thackeray".

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections began slowly on Thursday, with only 7.12 per cent voter turnout as of 9:30 AM. However, these early trends indicate that almost twice as many male voters are casting their votes as 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 of 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.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena are contesting the civic elections as allies under the Mahayuti banner, except in Pune. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has chosen to fight independently in most corporations.

In Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, both NCP factions have come together under a joint manifesto.

The main political battle remains centred on Mumbai and Pune, where the BJP-led Mahayuti will face the united Thackeray camp, as just ahead of the civic polls, Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray joined hands on the issue of Marathi Manus in a high-stakes fight for control of the BMC, the country's richest civic body.

The last BMC elections were held in 2017.

Polling is being held on Thursday across 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra. The elections are taking place after an intense campaign and are seen as crucial for major cities, including Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Nashik, and Pimpri-Chinchwad.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
Interesting to see the gender gap in voting. Only 2.8 lakh women vs 4.5 lakh men in Mumbai? That's a huge disparity. Civic issues affect everyone equally. Hope more women come out to vote in the later hours. 👩‍💼
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Arjun K
Making Nagpur the cleanest city is a great vision! But promises need action. The garbage collection system still has issues in my area. Hope whoever wins focuses on actual implementation, not just speeches. 🤞
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Priya S
Voted today in Pune! Felt good to exercise my right. The local body elections are so important for our daily lives - water, roads, sanitation. Hope people realize this and the turnout improves.
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Michael C
The political realignments are fascinating. Thackeray cousins joining hands, NCP fighting alone... Maharashtra politics never has a dull moment! The BMC results will set the tone for the state assembly polls later.
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Kavya N
Respectfully, while infrastructure has improved, the pollution levels in Nagpur are still high. Making it the "most pollution-free city" is a massive challenge. Need concrete plans for public transport and green zones, not just words.

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