BMC Elections: Polling, Turnout & Key Developments

The counting of votes for Maharashtra’s municipal elections began on Friday, covering 2,869 seats across 893 wards in 29 municipal corporations.

According to early trends aired by several television channels, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance has taken the lead in at least 250 seats.

In Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), however, the contest appears neck-and-neck between the BJP and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena.

Authorities will announce the final results later today after voters cast their ballots for these civic bodies on January 15.

Besides Mumbai, observers are closely watching results from major municipal corporations, including Pune, Thane, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Kalyan-Dombivli, Mira-Bhayandar, Ulhasnagar and Navi Mumbai.

The elections have attracted heightened attention due to realignments in state politics, with former rivals joining forces and past allies contesting separately.

Notably, the Thackeray cousins—Uddhav and Raj—have reunited for the civic polls, while Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is contesting against Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.

Also Read: Polling Ends For 29 Municipal Corporations In Maharashtra Including Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation

Polling took place from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM, with the overall voter turnout estimated between 46 and 50 per cent.

Kolhapur recorded the highest turnout at over 50 per cent, while Mumbai’s BMC saw around 41 per cent voting.

Allegations of the use of ‘erasable ink’ clouded the polling process, with opposition leaders claiming that voters could remove the ink using sanitisers, thereby raising concerns over electoral integrity.

Exit polls projected a clear edge for the BJP-led alliance in the BMC. According to Axis My India, the BJP–Shiv Sena alliance is expected to win 131–151 seats, while the Shiv Sena (UBT)–MNS–NCP (SP) bloc is projected to secure 58–68 seats.