NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar MLA Rohit Pawar said that some cases of EVMs being switched off were reported at the start of polling in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporations. Credit: X/@RRPSpeaks
Sporadic EVM malfunctions were reported during the initial phase of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) polls on Thursday (January 15, 2026) morning, but election officials said replacement machines were immediately installed as per procedure.
In a post on X, NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar said that some incidents of EVMs being switched off were reported at the start of polling in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporations.
He also claimed that some machines showed a time lag of up to 15 minutes.
Maharashtra Civic Polls LIVE
PMC has 165 posts in 41 departments.
“Somewhere the light flashed after casting a vote for the third candidate, while in some cases the mandatory light did not flash despite all four votes being cast. All these things are suspicious. The State Election Commission should give a clarification and ensure that the chaos around the EVMs is removed so that voting is free and fair,” Mr Pawar said.
PMC additional commissioner and poll in-charge Omprakash Divte said 15 to 20 EVMs developed faults soon after polling began.
“However, spare machines kept with the sectoral election officers were immediately deployed and voting continued in these constituencies without any glitch,” he said.
Mr Divte also said that he had not received any complaint regarding the erasure of indelible ink using chemicals.
By 1:30 PM, an average voter turnout of 23% was recorded in the PMC polls.
Elaborate polling arrangements have been made in Pune and the neighboring municipal corporations of Pimpri Chinchwad.
Published – 15 Jan 2026 17:19 IST
