BMC polls: In Govandi, Pydhonie & Agripada, voters turn up in large numbers; says Gen Z wanted to choose their representative

MUMBAI: The minority-dominated Govandi witnessed a significant voter turnout from Thursday afternoon, said local residents.

“Despite hiccups in finding their names on voter lists, people wanted to ensure they cast their vote and that it was brought on record. Long queues or difficulty in finding the right polling booths do not seem to have dissuaded voters,” said Jamil Ahmed Khan, a Govandi resident.





According to political observers, the contest seems to be between the Samajwadi Party and AIMIM in some of the wards such as 134 and 136.

Faiyaz Shaikh of the Govandi Citizens Welfare Forum said, “It seems people want change and that is reflected in the queues outside polling booths. A large number of firsttime voters cast their ballots. The Gen Z wanted to choose their representative, and are expecting the representative to improve their living conditions and create a local leadership. People who stepped out to vote in the civic elections seemed self-motivated to exercise their franchise.”

People might have also stepped out considering that unlike assembly elections, civic polls are directly connected to their daily lives, said another Govandi resident. “The person you elect will play an important role in providing civic amenities at the local level,” he added.

In another minority-dominated locality, Pydhonie in south Mumbai, people from all communities voted in large numbers.

“I have been voting in this area for the past couple of elections. The arrangement here was good and the staff was cordial. They helped us find our names and the police personnel also helped senior citizens and ailing people who came out to vote,” said a Muslim woman in her late 20s. She said she was accompanied by her relatives, and women from her family and neighbourhood had come together to vote.

There were several burqaclad women at a polling booth inside a BMC school. A young woman said she was excited to vote for the first time.

Ameer Mohamed Khan (78) arrived at the Seventh Day Adventist School polling booth at Agripada in south Mumbai along with his 70-year-old wife, Jannatun Nisa.

He came and completed his voting process within five minutes. The elderly couple, sitting on chairs, appreciated the arrangements. A young Muslim man said that it was very important to vote and that he and his entire family had come to cast their ballots.