Polling is now underway across 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, among them the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) which has an annual budget of over Rs 74,000 crore. Last held in 2017, the BMC polls are a litmus test for all key political players who are in the fray as part of largely untested formations.
For BJP and its ally, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, this is the first municipal election in Mumbai since the Sena split. Estranged cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray have joined hands 20 years after Raj floated the MNS, now allied with Uddhav’s Sena (UBT).
The Congress is contesting in an alliance with Prakash Ambedkar’s VBA, while Ajit Pawar-led NCP and uncle Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) have buried the hatchet in Pimpri-Chinchwad.
The BMC has 227 wards. The BJP has fielded candidates in 137 wards and the Shiv Sena in 90; the NCP is contesting 94 wards separately; the Sena (UBT) has fielded 163 candidates and the MNS 52; the Congress is contesting 143 and the VBA 46 wards.
Stay tuned to ThePrint for LIVE UPDATES on BMC polls.
LIVE UPDATES | Mumbai elections voting
09.15 am: What parties have promised Mumbai
The BMC elections, coming after prolonged litigation, administrator’s rule, and political realignments in Maharashtra, have prompted major political alliances to release expansive, high-stakes manifestos.
These blueprints for India’s richest civic body address critical urban problems, blending ambitious infrastructure goals with populist appeals of free power and tax waivers, and send out unmistakable political signals, be it about pursuing “infiltrators” or upholding Marathi interests.
In a city without elected corporators since 2022, all the competing parties have attempted to solidify their core bases through their manifestos.
Eyeing Hindu vote consolidation, the Mahayuti, comprising the BJP and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, promise to drive out “illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingya Muslims” from Mumbai. Coupled with its ambitious promise of delivering 3.5 million new, affordable homes in five years, through the redevelopment of chawls, slums, and dilapidated buildings, it has designed an arresting manifesto.
Running solo, Ajit Pawar’s NCP pitched itself as a technocratic and development-first party in its manifesto, which is focused on an AI-powered ‘smart traffic signal’ and the expansion of CCTV and WiFi networks under the ‘Smart City’ initiative. AI-enabled education and women’s safety have also been promised in what is a tech-driven, security-focused manifesto.
The Thackeray brothers’ alliance of Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sena and Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, along with Sharad Pawar’s NCP, has made the middle-class Mumbai residents the center of their manifesto, promising financial support up to Rs 1 lakh for the youth as well as relief from property tax and cost-of-living tax for houses under 700 sq ft.
08.50 am: ‘The matter of who will develop Mumbai and how’
Maharashtra Minister Ashish Shelar casts his vote in BMC polls. He says, “It’s the most crucial election for the development of Mumbai and a budget of over Rs 40,000 crore. We have to make our city developed…”
#WATCH | Mumbai | Maharashtra Minister Ashish Shelar shows his inked finger after casting his vote for BMC elections
He says, "It's the most crucial election, for the development of Mumbai and a budget of over Rs 40,000 crore. We have to make our city a developed Mumbai. I… pic.twitter.com/hk8yTiGdOp
— ANI (@ANI) January 15, 2026
08.20 am: Voting underway across 29 civic bodies
Among the key municipal corporations voting Thursday are Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Amravati, Kolhapur, Pimpri Chinchwad, Akola, Nashik, and so on. The counting of votes will take place Friday.
State government has declared a public holiday across all the regions where voting is underway. Stock markets are also shut for the day.
#WATCH | Maharashtra: Members of a family show their inked fingers after casting their votes at a polling station in Mumbai for the BMC elections. pic.twitter.com/OEZz4rjsY6
— ANI (@ANI) January 15, 2026
07.30 am: Polls open in Mumbai
The fate of 1,700 candidates hangs in the balance as Mumbai residents cast their votes to elect 227 corporators to the country’s wealthiest civic body.
Voting began at 7.30 am and will continue until 5.30 pm Thursday (15 January).
In the last BMC elections held in 2017, the undivided Sena secured 84 wards and BJP 82, followed by the Congress (31), NCP (9), MNS (7), SP (6) and AIMIM (2).
The term of corporators elected to the civic body in 2017 ended in 2022, after which BMC was placed under administrative control.
Besides Mumbai, polling is also underway for 28 other municipal corporations across Maharashtra. With 3.48 crore eligible voters and 15,931 candidates in the fray, polling is to be held for election to 893 wards.
This includes 1,700 candidates in Mumbai and 1,666 in Pune.