Malegaon Municipal Corporation elections tomorrow

Nashik, May 26 (UNI) As many as 253,410 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise and decide the fate of 357 candidates contesting the Malegaon Municipal Corporation (MMC) elections to be held tomorrow.

There are a total of 72 wards but elections will be held in 71 wards as Congress candidate and Mayor Asif Shaikh has been declared elected unopposed from Ward Number 12.

Among the 357 candidates in fray for the remaining 71 wards, 59 are independents.

The Congress has fielded 69 candidates, Indian Muslim Congress Party (51), Janata Dal (56), Nationalist Congress Party (43), Samajwadi Party (23), Shiv Sena (20), Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (14), Bahujan Samaj Party (6), Bharatiya Janata Party (10), Republican Party of India (2), People's Republican Party (2), Communist Party of India (1), and Communist Party of India (Marxist) - 1.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the elections in this sensitive powerloom town.

As many as 171 polling centres out of the total of 248 have been declared as sensitive. A total of 1240 police personnel and twelve companies of the state reserve police force have been deployed to ensure peaceful elections.

Electronic voting machines will be used for the elections.

Counting of votes will be done on May 28 and the results are expected to be declared within a few hours.

UNI