Drastic changes in Mumbai polling figures reported

A drastic change in polling figures and percentages announced on polling day and those announced today has baffled not only citizens but also candidates who had concluded their fates based on these figures.

On April 24, the election department had stated that the total percentage of polling was 49.48% for all constituencies put together.

The percentage reported on April 24 was Palghar (60%), Bhiwandi (45%), Kalyan (41%) and Thane (53%). Total votes polled were 3,59,6237 while the total number of voters were 7,26,8061, the election department had said.

However, today the election department released a fresh figure which stated that the voting percentage was 51.71%.

While Palghar showed a rise in voting percentage, which has been reported as 63.49%, Bhiwandi has shown a spectacular rise with the figure reaching 51.62%, while the figure for Kalyan has also risen, showing a 43.06 percentage voting percentage.

On the other hand, the voting percentage in Thane has dropped drastically to 50.84%, the election department figures revealed.

Political observers said that a a marginal upward revision in voting percentages is understandable but the percentage dropping is something "serious".

In Thane alone there is a drop of 44,757 votes which has caused concern among candidates.

The total number of votes polled in Thane has been reported as 37,58,302, which is a rise of 1,62,065 in all four segments.

The increase in votes reported in Palghar is 55,006, in Bhiwandi it is 1,12,266 and Kalyan it has risen by 39,550 votes, election department figures said.