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Senior Citizen Confronts Hema Malini Over Polling Booth Chaos in Mumbai

A senior citizen directly confronted actress-politician Hema Malini about chaotic conditions and long delays at a polling booth during the Maharashtra local body elections. The voter, a 60-year resident, expressed frustration over a two-hour wait and a lack of accountability from officials. Hema Malini, after casting her own vote, appealed to all Mumbai residents to exercise their franchise, linking voting to the city's security, progress, and quality of life. Polling is being held for 2,801 seats across 29 municipal corporations, with results expected on January 16.

Key Points: Hema Malini Confronted Over Voting Delays in Mumbai Polls

  • Senior citizen reports 2-hour voting delay
  • Voter frustration over polling booth chaos
  • Hema Malini appeals for civic participation
  • Elections for 29 municipal corporations underway
  • 3.48 crore voters to decide 15,931 candidates
3 min read

Maha local polls: Senior citizen flags polling booth chaos to Hema Malini

A senior citizen voiced frustration to Hema Malini about voting chaos during Maharashtra local polls. The actress-politician urged Mumbaikars to vote.

"I'm trying to vote since 7.30 and 9.30 I got it voted. Nobody is answerable. - Senior Citizen"

Mumbai, Jan 15

During the ongoing Maharashtra local polls on Thursday, a senior citizen, who has lived in the area for over 60 years, voiced his frustration over the voting process directly to actress-politician Hema Malini.

While Hema Malini addressed the media after casting her vote, an elderly citizen came and said to the actress-politician: "I'm a senior citizen. I've been residing in this area for the last 60 years. There is chaos, for the first time. Last, I'm trying to vote since 7.30 and 9.30 I got it voted. Nobody is answerable. Nobody is accountable."

He added: "I'm a senior citizen. I've been residing in this area for the last 60 years."

Hema was later seen appealing to Mumbai residents to exercise their right to vote in the ongoing Maharashtra local body polls, urging that civic participation is key to improving the quality of life in the city.

Speaking to the reporters after casting her vote, Hema Malini said, "I request everyone in Mumbai to come and vote. I have come early in the morning to vote. This is very, very important for every citizen of Mumbai. If you want security, if you want progress in Mumbai, if you want good air in Mumbai, if you want free roads, we all have to take responsibility for all these things."

The actress-politician said that everybody has to be "responsible and come and vote".

"Only if we practice the right to vote, Mumbai will be the best city in the world. It can be better, it can be better. For this, all of you should support us. So I request all the citizens of Mumbai to come and vote for the right people."

Asked what kind of progress she wants to see in Mumbai, Hema Malini replied: "The way the parties are working. What kind of progress is left in Mumbai? If someone wins, they will work. I just said that if you want good air, free roads, security, and progress, you have to support everyone. Only if you support the government will all this happen."

Polling for the 29 municipal corporations began at 7.30 a.m. and will conclude at 5.30 p.m. While elections were originally scheduled for 2,869 seats, including 227 seats in the BMC, polling is now being held for 2,801 seats, as 68 candidates were elected unopposed. No voting will take place for these uncontested seats. A total of 3.48 crore voters will decide the fate of 15,931 candidates, including 1,729 candidates in Mumbai alone. The counting of votes will take place on January 16.

According to the State Election Commission, arrangements have been made across 39,147 polling stations, equipped with 43,958 Control Units and 87,916 Ballot Units. In Mumbai, there are 10,111 polling stations with 11,349 Control Units and 22,698 Ballot Units.

Elections are being held in municipal corporations across major cities, including Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Kalyan-Dombivli, Vasai-Virar, Mira-Bhayandar, Solapur, Kolhapur, Amravati, Akola, Latur, Jalgaon, Dhule, Jalna, Chandrapur, Parbhani, Nanded-Waghala, Panvel, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Malegaon, Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad, Ichalkaranji, Ahilyanagar, and Ulhasnagar.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Hema Malini's message is correct – we must vote. But her response to the senior citizen felt a bit generic. Leaders should listen to such genuine complaints and promise immediate action, not just give a general appeal. The chaos needs fixing first.
R
Rohit P
My parents faced similar issues in Thane. Long queues, no separate line for seniors. We talk about digital India, but can't manage basic polling booth discipline. Hope the SEC takes note and improves for the next round.
A
Aman W
Despite the chaos, kudos to that uncle for speaking up directly! And good on Hema ji for listening. Civic participation is key. Let's all vote responsibly for the future of our cities. 🗳️
M
Michael C
Interesting to see this. The scale of these elections is massive—3.48 crore voters! Some logistical issues are perhaps expected, but a two-hour wait for a senior citizen is not acceptable. The appeal to vote is universal, though.
N
Nisha Z
"Nobody is answerable. Nobody is accountable." This line hits hard. This is the core problem in our civic systems. We vote for change, but the administration's attitude often remains the same. Hope the new corporators fix this.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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