BMC Elections 2026: Â Voting for BMC and 29 municipal corporations started on Thursday at 7:30 am and the counting of votes will take place on January 16. In Mumbai, polling is being held across 227 wards, with nearly 1,700 candidates contesting the election.
The BMC polls have turned into a high-profile political battle. The political standing of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and the Thackeray cousins – Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray is at stake.
With so many powerful leaders involved, the contest in Mumbai is expected to be tight, intense, and closely watched.
BMC Elections 2026: Polling Timings, Candidates and Voter Numbers
Polling is ongoing till 5:30 pm today across all 227 wards of Greater Mumbai. A total of 1,729 candidates are contesting the elections, making the race highly competitive.
Mumbai has 1,03,44,315 eligible voters. This includes:
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55,16,707 men
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48,26,509 women
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1,077 voters from other genders
Every vote is expected to play an important role in deciding the final outcome.
BMC Elections 2026: Public Holiday Declared for Voting Day
To encourage more people to vote, the government has declared a public holiday in municipal areas on polling day. This move is meant to help citizens step out and take part in the democratic process without work pressure.
The counting of votes will begin at 10 am on Friday, January 16, and the final results are expected by the end of the day.
BMC Elections 2026: Tight Security Arrangements in Place
To ensure that the election process remains peaceful and smooth, around 25,000 police personnel and senior officials have been deployed across the city. Authorities have taken special measures to avoid any disturbance during polling.
The last BMC election took place in 2017, and the civic body’s term ended on March 7, 2022. Since then, Mumbai’s municipal administration has been run by an administrator, making this election crucial for restoring an elected local government.
BMC Elections 2026: How the Election Campaign Took Shape
At the start of the campaign, the BJP and its ally, the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, focused strongly on the Hindutva plank. On the other side, Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray tried to rally voters around Marathi identity and regional pride.
As the campaign progressed, the political discussion shifted sharply towards the Marathi versus non-Marathi divide, an issue that has influenced Mumbai’s politics for many decades.
BMC Elections 2026: Changing Alliances and Rising Stakes
Initially, the BMC election looked like a three-cornered fight between:
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The BJP–Shiv Sena alliance
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The Shiv Sena (UBT)–MNS alliance
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The Congress–Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) coalition
However, the political picture changed after Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray held a joint rally at Shivaji Park on Sunday. This event sent a strong message that both leaders are trying to bring Marathi voters together.
Because of this, the BMC election has now turned into a major prestige battle not only for the BJP leadership but also for the Thackeray cousins and Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad.
