Polling begins for Sangli, Jalgaon municipal bodies

Mumbai: Polling began at 7:30 am today for elections to two municipal corporations in Maharashtra, where 754 candidates are vying for 153 seats.

Polling is being held for the 78-member Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad Municipal Corporation (SMKMC) in Western Maharashtra and the 75-member Jalgaon Municipal Corporation (JMC) in North Maharashtra. The two cities have a cumulative voter population of 7,89,251.

As many as 1,013 polling booths have been set up and 5,792 election staff deployed on duty in the two cities, according to State Election Commissioner J S Saharia. Polling is also taking place for ward number 97 of the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation.

The voting will continue 5.30 pm and the counting will be taken up on August 3. As many as 451 candidates are in fray for 78 seats in the SMKMC, while 303 nominees will vie for 75 seats in Jalgaon.

Sangli has 4,24,179 eligible voters, while their number is 3,65,072 in Jalgaon. The Ruling BJP-Shiv Sena have joined hands for the JMC, while the BJP is going it alone in the SMKMC.