Mumbai's Vote Counting Strategy: The Shift to Phase-Wise Counts

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced a change in its vote-counting process for the current elections, opting for phase-wise counting across 227 wards instead of simultaneous counting. This new approach, involving counting votes from two wards at a time, is aimed at efficiency but might delay final result declarations.

Mumbai's election process has seen a strategic shift as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced phase-wise vote counting this year, diverging from the simultaneous approach used in 2017. Officials indicate that this change might delay result declarations.

As per BMC's release, counting will start at 10 am at 23 centers across the metropolis with only 46 wards, as voting counts from two wards at a time. This aims to use human resources effectively, despite the potential delay in result announcements.

The municipal body emphasized thorough preparations, including 2,299 deployed personnel, traffic management, and security measures. The election featured 1,700 candidates vying for 227 seats in India's wealthiest municipal corporation, with a recent budget of Rs 74,400 crore for 2025-26.

(With inputs from agencies.)