BMC vote count hits snags; EVM glitches, recounts delay final results

As counting progressed, further delays were reported after 1 pm, especially in wards where candidates raised objections or asked for recounting of votes.

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Sources in the BMC, which is the nodal agency for conducting the elections, said that technical glitches in electronic voting machines (EVMs) were one of the main reasons for the delay.

The counting of votes for all 227 seats was carried out at 23 counting centres across Mumbai.

Opposition leaders criticised the ruling administration over the delays, questioning the handling of the counting process and raising concerns about transparency.

However, election officials said the issues were addressed as they arose and that counting was completed following established procedures.

EVM glitches

This year, the civic administration deployed an older version of EVMs for the elections. Senior BMC officials confirmed that this model was not used during the 2024 legislative elections.

“These machines consist of a control unit and a ballot unit that need to be manually connected to generate results,” a senior civic official said. “In the 2024 elections, automatic machines were used, which did not require manual affixation. This time, the manual process led to technical glitches in some centres, forcing us to stop counting temporarily.”

According to civic sources, wards in Ghatkopar, Kurla, Mankhurd and Govandi in the eastern suburbs were among those affected.

Except for Ghatkopar, most of these constituencies had last sitting corporators from the Samajwadi Party, Congress or the undivided Shiv Sena, who later joined the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction.

Officials said one of the major problems recorded in these wards was that the vote margin displayed by the machines exceeded the total number of votes polled.

“After detecting the glitch, counting was stopped and we sought guidance from the State Election Commission (SEC) on whether to proceed with the available data or conduct a recount,” the official said.

As of 8 pm on Friday, the SEC allowed results to be declared for eight of the affected constituencies based on available figures, while counting in the remaining two wards was withheld, officials said.

New counting method adds to delays

The civic administration also introduced a new counting method for this year’s elections. Additional Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Joshi, who is overseeing the election process, had announced that votes would be counted in batches, with two constituencies counted at a time under each returning officer (RO).

Unlike the 2017 elections, when counting was conducted simultaneously, the process this year was carried out in phases across 23 locations. Each RO was assigned a minimum of 10 constituencies, with officials allowed to move to the next set only after completing counting in the first two.

Officials said this system caused delays when candidates demanded recounts.

“If a recount is demanded, the counting team cannot move to the next constituency until the process is completed,” an official said. “In several wards, candidates sought recounts multiple times, which held up the entire chain.”

One such case was Ward 194 in Worli, where repeated recount requests delayed the counting process. This, in turn, affected neighbouring wards 195, 196, 197, 198 and 199, with counting continuing there until late evening.

Late start adds to disruption

Officials said the late start to counting also contributed to the delay.

“Usually there is a gap of one day between polling and counting, but this year the process was carried out back-to-back,” an official said. “Since paperwork and transportation of EVMs continued late into the night after polling, counting was scheduled to begin later in the morning.”

Officials added that the combination of a delayed start, technical glitches and repeated recount demands significantly slowed the counting process across the city.