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On this Special Report, the focus is on the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections as high-profile citizens and political leaders head to the polling stations. Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, was among the early voters in Malabar Hill, accompanied by his wife. Speaking after casting his ballot, Goyal stated, 'I appeal to every Mumbaikar to exercise their right to vote as a duty towards their beloved city, for good governance, for fast-paced progress, for ensuring the well-being of every resident of Mumbai'. The transcript also highlights the participation of celebrities like Akshay Kumar and the strategic importance of the election for Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Analysts discuss the 'triple engine government' narrative and the push to overcome urban voter apathy. The report emphasizes that these local elections are crucial for addressing civic issues such as infrastructure, pollution, and traffic jams, with parties deploying extensive ground-level agents to mobilize the electorate and increase voter turnout beyond previous records.

On this Special Report, India Today correspondent Mustafa Sheikh provides live updates from a polling station in Bandra East during the Mumbai civic elections. Reporting on the ground, Sheikh highlights significant delays, noting that some voters have waited for over an hour to cast their ballots. He quotes a frustrated citizen who stated, 'She took one hour to cast one vote,' emphasizing the slow pace of the process. The transcript details how issues such as missing voter slips and difficulties in locating names in the registry are contributing to the backlog, leading some residents to leave without voting. While reporting from Malabar Hill suggests a smoother flow, the situation in Bandra remains a concern for voter turnout. The programme also features insights on Mumbai's political fragmentation and the importance of local ward heads in this high-stakes election, which sees a massive budget and critical infrastructure issues at the forefront for the city's residents.

This special report covers the critical Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, highlighting a historic political realignment in Mumbai. For the first time in two decades, Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray have joined forces to consolidate the 'Marathi Manus' and Muslim vote bank. A reporter on the ground noted that 'Raj Thackeray has come as a saviour for his brother' to counter the challenge posed by the Eknath Shinde faction and the BJP. The discussion explores whether this new alliance can overcome the 'urban apathy' seen in previous years, where the 2017 turnout was 55.2%. Analysts suggest that while the BJP maintains a strong core among non-Maharashtrian voters, the split in the original Shiv Sena and the separate contesting of various factions have turned the election into a complex 'khichdi'. The programme examines the shift from civic issues to identity politics and the potential impact of the Ladli Behna scheme on women voters in this high-stakes urban battle.

Akshay Kumar arrived with wife Twinkle Khanna to cast their votes in the Maharashtra civic polls. He also urged everyone to exercise their duty as a citizen of India.