BMC Election 2026 Results LIVE Updates: BJP Alliance And Shiv-Sena UBT Coalition Neck To Neck In Early Trends

Workers from BJP celebrate as Navnath Ban from BJP wins at ward number 135, Mankhurd area.

Six candidates have been declared winners in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections, with Shiv Sena securing three seats.

Rekha Yadav won from Ward No 1, while Varsha Tembwalkar emerged victorious from Ward No 51 and Shaila Lande from Ward No 163. Other winners include Tejaswini Ghosalkar from Ward No 2 and Ajit Patil from Ward No 214, both representing the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The Indian National Congress opened its account with Asha Kale winning from Ward No 183 in Dharavi.

Congress candidate Asha Kale emerged victorious over the Shiv Sena nominee in Mumbai's Lakshmi Bagh as the grand old party marked its first victory in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections on Friday.

Early trends also showed the BJP–Shiv Sena alliance consolidating its lead across the city, staying ahead in 52 wards as results trickled in from counting centres. In contrast, the Opposition combine of Shiv Sena (UBT), Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the NCP (Sharad Pawar) lagged behind, managing leads in 31 wards in the initial rounds of counting.

Shiv Sena leader alleged that workers were beaten by police.

"The police should show their force on the criminals, instead of the workers": Maharashtra minister Sanjay Shirsat alleges Shiv Sena workers beaten up by state police

Supporters of two rival candidates clashed during civic polls in Thane, forcing police intervention in the Manpada area, according to PTI.

The incident took place in ward number 3, where tensions flared between supporters of former mayor Meenakshi Shinde, the official Shiv Sena candidate, and Bhushan Bhoir, an independent contestant and Shiv Sena rebel. PTI reported that the confrontation led to scenes of disorder, prompting authorities to rush to the spot.

Trends show that BJP is leading in Pune and Nagpur whereas Congress is leading in Kolhapur and Solapur. Shiv Sena UBT is gaining numbers in Parbhani.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission of eroding public faith, writing on X (formerly Twitter), “Election commission gaslighting citizens is how trust has collapsed in our democracy. Vote Chori is an anti-national act.”

His statement followed allegations from the Thackerays regarding the use of marker pens to mark voters’ fingers during the Maharashtra civic polls. MNS chief Raj Thackeray claimed that polling officials in Mumbai were using pens instead of indelible ink after voting in the 227-ward BMC elections, arguing that such marks could be easily removed with sanitiser.

The State Election Commission dismissed the allegations, denying any irregularity in the voting process.

As counting for the Maharashtra civic body elections began, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut raised concerns over the functioning of Electronic Voting Machines used in Mumbai on Thursday. He alleged irregularities in the electoral process, particularly the absence of names of several voters from areas considered strongholds of opposition parties.

Speaking to ANI, Raut said, “The voting pattern that has been going on in a city like Mumbai is a serious matter. Names of thousands of people, who have even voted in the Assembly elections, are missing in areas where Shiv Sena (UBT), MNS or Congress... The EVM machine does not work properly... The Election Commission is not ready to listen to us. Yesterday, a meeting was held between the senior BJP leaders and the Election Commission staff, why? The Code of Conduct is still in place...”

Counting of postal ballots is in progress in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. Very early trends indicate that the BJP is leading on four seats in the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation and is ahead on five seats in the Pune Municipal Corporation.

BJP-Shiv Sena alliance leads in 15 wards in Mumbai, Thackerays ahead in 10, show very early leads in BMC polls at 10:15 am.

Counting of votes for the 29 municipal corporations of Maharashtra has begun. The most prominent of civic bodies this time is the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) of Mumbai where elections are taking place after a hiatus of nearly four years.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has appointed 23 Returning Officers to oversee counting day operations across the city’s 227 electoral wards. Strong rooms and designated counting centres under each officer’s jurisdiction have been finalised, with all required clearances obtained from the Public Works and Police departments.

Municipal Commissioner and District Election Officer Bhushan Gagrani stated that comprehensive arrangements have been put in place to ensure the counting process remains transparent, orderly, and time-bound. Preparations include the setup of counting halls, table management, deployment of personnel, CCTV monitoring, fire safety provisions, and medical assistance. He added that close coordination with the Police Department has been ensured to maintain law and order throughout the exercise.

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar recorded the highest participation at 59.82%, followed by Pimpri-Chinchwad with 57.71% and Navi Mumbai at 57.15%. Vasai-Virar closely trailed with 57.12%, while Thane saw a turnout of 55.59%.
Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) registered 52.94%, marginally ahead of Pune at 52.42%. Nagpur reported 51%, Mira-Bhayander 48.64%, and Kalyan-Dombivli recorded around 45% voter participation.

In the 2017 BMC elections, Shiv Sena, which has controlled the Mumbai’s civic body since 1985, came close to losing control to the BJP. The then undivided Sena won 84 seats, narrowly ahead of the BJP’s 82, in a 227-member corporation where neither secured a clear majority. The impasse led to a fragile arrangement, with the BJP backing the Sena’s claim to the mayor’s post.

Since then, the political landscape has shifted dramatically. The collapse of the original alliance and the subsequent split within the Shiv Sena have altered the balance of power, giving the BJP a fresh opening to challenge the Sena’s long-held dominance and push for Mumbai’s first BJP

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) last went to the polls in 2017. The term of its elected corporators formally ended on 7 March 2022, but fresh elections could not be conducted in time. As a result, the country’s richest civic body has since been run by an administrator.

Municipal elections across Maharashtra, initially due in 2020, were first postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The delay stretched further when polls scheduled for March 2022 were put on hold following a Supreme Court ruling that made the inclusion of Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservations in local body elections contingent on a comprehensive empirical study.

A significant turn came on 21 July 2022, when the Supreme Court accepted the State Backward Classes Commission’s report and permitted up to 27 per cent OBC reservation in Nagar Panchayat, Nagar Parishad and BMC elections. However, the court simultaneously made it clear that the State Election Commission (SEC) should not re-notify election programmes for 367 local bodies, including the BMC, solely to implement the quota.

A day later, the SEC announced a revised ward reservation for the BMC’s 236 seats—156 for the general category, 15 for Scheduled Castes, two for Scheduled Tribes and 63 for OBCs—prompting the Supreme Court to intervene again. The court ordered the status quo to be maintained and barred the SEC from issuing a fresh election notification.

The prolonged impasse finally drew sharp judicial intervention. On 4 August 2025, the Supreme Court instructed the SEC to complete local body elections in Maharashtra by January 2026, in line with the revised ward structure and the 27 per cent OBC reservation. The apex court also strongly criticised the commission for the extended delay, underscoring the urgency of restoring elected local governanc

AIMIM national spokesperson Waris Pathan voiced optimism about the party’s prospects in the Maharashtra civic body elections, stating that it would register “significant success.” Speaking to ANI, he dismissed the exit polls as unreliable, saying such predictions have often proven wrong in the past.

He pointed out that the real picture would emerge only after the vote counting on Tuesday. Pathan added that the party was confident of receiving strong public support and believed the electorate had blessed AIMIM with their mandate.

Counting centres for BMC election have been established zone-wise, covering all administrative wards, including R North, R Central, R South, P North, P East, P South, K West, K East, H East, H West, T, S, N, M East, M West, L, F North, F South, G North, G South, D, C, B, A and E.

The venues include municipal schools, sports complexes, colleges, auditoriums, stadiums and administrative buildings located in areas such as Dahisar, Borivali, Kandivali, Malad, Goregaon, Andheri, Santacruz, Mulund, Ghatkopar, Chembur, Kurla, Sion, Dadar, Worli, Girgaum and Byculla. Each centre has been assigned specific ward numbers and a designated Returning Officer.

Exit polls released post voting on Thursday have projected a decisive victory for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, indicating a major setback for the Thackeray-led factions.

Surveys conducted by Axis My India, JVC and Sakal suggest a clear sweep for the BJP–Shiv Sena alliance in Mumbai. According to the Axis My India exit poll, the Mahayuti alliance is projected to win between 131 and 151 seats in the 227-member civic body. The JVC exit poll has forecast 138 seats for the alliance, while Sakal has predicted a victory in 119 seats.

Voting in polls to 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra ended at 5.30pm on Thursday. State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare told PTI, after voting ended at 5.30pm, that the turnout so far was 46-50 per cent.

He said this is higher than the figure for the 2017 civic polls and that he was satisfied with the turnout. As per SEC data, the voter turnout was 41.13 per cent till 3.30 pm across the state.

Controversy erupted during polling for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and 28 other municipal corporations in Maharashtra, with opposition parties alleging that marker pens are being used in place of traditional indelible ink to mark voters' fingers, potentially enabling fraud.

Voters and leaders, including Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, have claimed the marks can be easily removed using hand sanitiser, nail polish remover, or simple rubbing, raising fears of double voting. Thackeray, after casting his vote, described the practice as "unacceptable" and urged citizens to remain vigilant, alleging it could facilitate manipulation in the high-stakes polls. Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant demonstrated the removal on video, demanding action against officials.

Political parties across the spectrum are announcing welfare schemes and cash benefits ahead of civic elections, ignoring how these will be funded. The BMC’s reserves have shrunk due to costly infrastructure projects, lack of new revenue sources, and rising dependence on borrowings. These announcements ignore the harsh financial reality of the country’s richest municipal body and risk pushing a heavier fiscal burden onto Mumbai’s taxpayers in the coming.