MUMBAI: Congress candidate Asha Deepak Kale emerged victorious from Ward 183, Dharavi, defeating Shiv Sena’s Vaishali Shewale by 1,450 votes. Vaishali Shewale is the sister-in-law of former MP Rahul Shewale.In another key win for the party, Congress candidate Ashraf Azmi secured Ward 165, Kurla West, reinforcing the party’s foothold in central Mumbai wards. Both victories highlight Congress’s ability to challenge established rivals in urban strongholds.The Mumbai civic polls saw a voter turnout of 52.94%, down from 55.53% in the 2017 elections, officials said on Friday. Among the city’s 227 wards, Ward 114 in suburban Bhandup recorded the highest turnout at 64.53%, while Ward 227 in south Mumbai’s Colaba reported the lowest at 20.88%.Of the over 1.03 crore eligible voters in the metropolis, just over half exercised their franchise on Thursday between 7:30 am and 5:30 pm, according to civic officials. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) declared the final voter turnout more than 15 hours after polling concluded.Counting of votes is scheduled to begin at 10 am at 25 designated counting centres across Mumbai.The election for the 227-member BMC, which manages India’s richest municipal corporation with a budget of Rs 74,400 crore, is being held after a long gap, making it a key political contest. Nearly 1,700 candidates are in the fray this time.The previous BMC elections were held in 2017, with a turnout of 55.53%, and the term of the elected body ended in March 2022.
