Mumbai

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday clarified that postal ballot boxes will be taken out of the strong room only on the day of counting, January 16, 2026, along with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), rejecting allegations of irregularities made by former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray.

The clarification came after confusion arose over a letter erroneously circulated on January 8, which was subsequently withdrawn and replaced with a revised communication.

In a press note issued by its Public Relations Department, the BMC said the earlier letter sent to candidates by the Election Decision Officer-21 (Wards 200 to 206) regarding postal ballot papers was inadvertently issued and later withdrawn. A corrected letter has since been circulated.

“As per the revised instructions, postal ballot boxes will not be taken out of the strong room on Thursday, January 15, 2026, at 3.00 pm,” the civic body said. It added that, in accordance with the orders of the Maharashtra State Election Commission, the postal ballot boxes will be removed only on Friday, January 16, the designated counting day, along with the EVMs.

The BMC further clarified that ward-wise segregation of postal ballots will also be carried out on the day of counting. Election Decision Officers have informed candidates and their authorised representatives to remain present at the specified time during the counting process.

The clarification follows allegations earlier in the day by Thackeray, who questioned the handling of postal ballot boxes and alleged lack of transparency, claiming they were to be removed from the strong room before counting.

The civic body maintained that the confusion stemmed solely from the mistakenly issued letter and that the error was promptly rectified. “All procedures will strictly follow the directions of the State Election Commission,” the BMC said.

Polling for the Maharashtra municipal corporation elections is underway across 29 civic bodies, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Voting began at 7:30 am on Thursday and will continue till 5:30 pm. According to the State Election Commission, voter turnout stood at 29.22 per cent till 1:30 pm.

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The results of the civic body elections will be declared on Friday, January 16, after completion of the counting process.