BMC elections 2026: Junior auditor suspended for misconduct, poll obstruction

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC on Thursday suspended a junior auditor working with its finance department for alleged misconduct and obstructing the ongoing BMC elections 2026 process reported news agency PTIIn a release the BMC said the action against the auditor was ordered by Additional Municipal Commissioner City Dr Ashwini Joshi reported PTIThe suspended auditor Deepak Johare who worked with the civic bodys finance department was deputed to the central election office RO as part of electionrelated duties the release saidA complaint supported by prima facie evidence was received against the official alleging serious misconduct and interference in the election process the BMC stated reported PTIThe municipal corporation administration received a complaint and strong evidence that Johare had committed very serious misconduct during the election process and obstructed the election process the release stated reported PTIA preliminary inquiry found the charges to be of a grave nature following which Joshi ordered the auditors suspension with immediate effectThe Additional Municipal Commissioner has cautioned that strict action will be taken against any civic employee found indulging in acts that hamper or interfere with the election process according to the release reported PTIThe BMC along with civic bodies of 28 other cities and towns in Maharashtra will go to polls on January 15 Scrutiny of nominations filed by candidates is over and January 2 is the last date for opting out of the race for the 227member civic body Indias largest and richestBMC finalises 10231 polling stationsMeanwhile the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has finalised 10231 polling stations across the metropolis for civic polls to be held on January 15In a release issued on Thursday evening BMC said 4386 of these will be located in government and semigovernment buildings 702 in cooperative housing societies and 5143 in private buildingsThe polling stations include closed semiclosed and open structures selected based on population voter density and local geographical conditions to ensure a smooth polling process the release saidElaborate preparations have been made to ensure smooth transparent and accessible voting for over 103 crore electors the release quoted BMC chief and District Election Officer Bhushan Gagrani as sayingThe final wardwise list of polling stations for all 227 wards has been published in accordance with State Election Commission guidelines Voters must verify their designated polling stations in advance to avoid inconvenience on polling day Gagrani saidThe BMC said special facilities will be provided for senior citizens women and persons with disabilities including ramps electricity drinking water toilets and voter assistance centres near polling locations Votes will be counted on January 16With inputs from PTI