Many candidates openly violated the election code of conduct by arranging private vehicles to ferry voters to polling centres.
The police had arranged an unprecedented bandobast at all 832 polling centres on Thursday during the hotly contested Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) polls, and the tension was palpable throughout the day.
Many candidates and their supporters openly violated the election code of conduct by arranging private vehicles to ferry voters to polling centres. Though the turnout was low in the morning, it gathered momentum in many areas as the day progressed. Neighbourhoods such as Lokmanya Nagar, Indira Nagar, Wagle Estate, Gandhi Nagar and Rabodi saw long queues throughout the day.
Commissioner Nandkumar Jantre said over 60 per cent of residents cast their ballots on Thursday, about 16 per cent more than 2002 elections.
There were also some hiccups as residents tried to cast their votes without a valid picture ID. Officials, however, managed to diffuse the situation.
Despite the bandobast, there were a couple of incidents of violence. In one incident, Shiv Sainiks allegedly assaulted Congress workers on Ghodbunder Road at Azad Nagar after the Congress workers demanded an ID card from a genuine voter, who they suspected for a fraud. The cops intervened and rescued the Congress workers. An offence was registered with the Kapurbavdi police station.
In another incident, Congress party workers at Chandan Nagar allegedly assaulted Shiv Sainiks at the Chandan Nagar shakha. Supporters of Narayan Pawar, a Congress candidate, tussled with Sainiks and damaged a polling booth. They also damaged a four-wheeler parked on the road. Madhukar Pandey, DCP, (Zone I), said, “The situation at Chandan Nagar and other parts of the city is under control. Pawar will be arrested.”
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