Mumbai, Jan 15 (NationPress) The polling for Municipal Corporations throughout the state commenced at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday but was marred by administrative mismanagement. The principal victim of this disarray was Forest Minister Ganesh Naik, who had to navigate various polling stations for an hour before he could successfully cast his vote for the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation.

Reports have been flooding in about missing names from voter lists, malfunctioning EVMs, and unresponsive buttons since early morning. These issues have caused significant inconvenience to citizens who came out in large numbers to vote. Public anger is growing against the State Election Commission for their handling of the situation. In cities such as Mumbai, Solapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Pune, and Pimpri-Chinchwad, many booths began voting with machines that were not operational.

After an hour of confusion, Forest Minister Ganesh Naik and his family finally managed to cast their votes. Naik made serious allegations against the SEC, stating that the system was failing to operate effectively. The chaos began at 7:30 a.m. After visiting two polling stations without success, Minister Naik, his son and former MP Sanjeev Naik, and daughter-in-law Kalpana Naik eventually found their names at St. Mary’s High School in Koparkhairane. However, the names of his nephew (former Mayor Sagar Naik) and his wife were listed at a different location.

For a family accustomed to voting at the same booth, the SEC’s mismanagement forced them to vote separately this time. Minister Naik remarked, “It is anyone’s guess that if a minister like me can face a situation where his name is missing from the voters’ list, one can only imagine what is happening to ordinary voters.” Minister Naik has been the BJP’s representative in Navi Mumbai, who recently challenged Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde during a vigorous political contest.

In Mira-Bhayandar, a lack of awareness campaigns left numerous voters confused about their designated polling centers, leading to individuals wandering the streets in search of their booths.

In Mumbai’s traditionally Marathi-dominated Lalbaug’s Chivda Galli, the EVM only started functioning after a 30-minute delay. Shiv Sena(UBT) leader Sudhir Salvi expressed his frustration over the extended wait imposed on voters.

In Kurla (Mumbai), at Pant Walawalkar School in Kamgar Nagar, voters reported inadequate cooperation from election staff. Confusion peaked as voter names, centers, and booth numbers were altered without proper notice.

In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, chaos erupted at the Gujarati Kanya Vidyalaya after an EVM malfunctioned, taking nearly an hour to repair, which left citizens waiting in long lines.

In Solapur, voting was interrupted at Sangameshwar Public School from 7:30 a.m. due to a technical issue with the EVM. The process resumed only after a 45-minute delay.

In Nagpur, in Ward 28, voting at the GRK Convent (Aradhana Nagar) was delayed for 40 minutes due to a technical fault, only commencing after the EVM was replaced.