BMC Election Results: Counting of votes begins in Mumbai

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], Feb. 23 (ANI): Counting of votes for Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and nine other municipal corporations began on Thursday. The local body polls will be witnessing a contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena, Congress, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena(MNS), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and Samajwadi Party (SP). However, the Shiv Sena is hopeful of retaining power in the country's richest civic body. An official of the poll body said that Mumbai recorded 55.53 per cent polling, highest in the last 25 years and 10 per cent higher than 2012. Polling for 227 seats of Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai concluded on Tuesday where a total of 17,331 candidates were in the fray for 3,210 seats in 10 municipal corporations. The civic body polls witnessed voters from political, Bollywood and sports fraternity. The average voting in the Maharashtra municipal polls held on Tuesday was 56.40 per cent, against 48.59 per cent for the same in 2012. The Shiv Sena had won 75 of the 227 seats last time, with the BJP winning 31, the Congress 52 and the NCP 13. (ANI)