Maharashtra Election Results: The answer to who will rule Mumbai, India’s largest municipal corporation, will be revealed today. Vote counting has been underway since 10 AM. Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission on Friday amidst the ink controversy. He said the Election Commission is “gaslighting” (misleading) citizens. Along with this, amidst the BJP’s strong lead in the Maharashtra civic elections, Rahul Gandhi has once again started levelling allegations of “vote theft.” Vote counting in these elections is still ongoing. According to initial trends, there is a tough fight between the BJP and the Thackeray brothers in the BMC.
Rahul Gandhi posted on the social media platform X, “The Election Commission gaslighting citizens shows how trust in our democracy has eroded. Vote theft is an anti-national act.”
He also shared a news clipping reporting that, after the BMC elections on Thursday, voters and opposition leaders expressed concern that the indelible ink marks were fading quickly. The report also stated that the “embarrassed” Election Commissioner has ordered an inquiry into the matter.
The BJP is leading by a narrow margin in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation seats. Meanwhile, according to the latest trends, the Congress is also leading in 7 seats. The Shiv Sena has dominated the BMC for several decades, but this time the equations are different.
The Maharashtra State Election Commission has stated that attempting to erase the ink on the finger and creating confusion among voters constitutes malpractice. Furthermore, if any person is found to have voted again after erasing the ink from their finger, appropriate legal action will be taken against them. The State Election Commission has also clarified that even if someone attempts to tamper with the ink, the concerned voter cannot vote again.
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The Maharashtra State Election Commission also said that necessary precautions are already being taken. The record of voters’ votes is maintained, so simply erasing the ink does not allow voters to vote again.
Election commission gaslighting citizens is how trust has collapsed in our democracy.
Vote Chori is an anti-national act. pic.twitter.com/3FZKkDPwDg
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 16, 2026
What do the exit polls say?
For context, exit polls had predicted a victory for the BJP alliance. Axis My India projected a win for the ruling coalition. According to exit polls, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance could win between 131 and 151 of 227 seats.
The exit polls suggest the Shiv Sena (UBT) faction may secure only 58 to 68 seats in the BMC elections. The Congress alliance is projected to win between 12 and 16 seats.
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