A Week before BMC Polls, Battle Of The Manifestos Heats Up

With the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections and other major civic polls in Maharashtra scheduled for January 15, the contest has moved decisively into the terrain of competing manifestos, revealing sharp ideological and electoral divergences. At its core, the campaign has crystallised into a familiar Mumbai fault line. On one side is an assertive articulation of Marathi regional identity and a consciously inclusive, migrant-oriented outreach on the other.

The Shiv Sena UBT, MNS and NCP SP alliance, which reunited after nearly two decades, released its joint manifesto, Vachan Nama, on January 4. Anchored firmly in the Marathi manoos narrative, the document promises that Mumbai’s next Mayor will be Marathi. It prioritises local residents in municipal employment, housing allotments and educational admissions, mandates Marathi as the working language in civic offices and schools, and pledges strict action against what it terms illegal encroachments by migrants.

Its welfare commitments include ₹1,500 monthly assistance to women from economically weaker sections, including domestic workers and those in the unorganised sector, free electricity up to 100 units per month, free bus travel for senior citizens and students, subsidised water supply, accelerated flood mitigation projects, induction of 5,000 new buses, 50 per cent quota for Marathi families in affordable housing schemes, tax rebates for Marathi owned enterprises, and dedicated funding for Marathi cultural festivals and museums.

In contrast, the Congress, while remaining part of the broader Maha Vikas Aghadi, has adopted a dual track strategy. Its primary Mumbai manifesto, released on December 30, foregrounds universal civic governance issues. These include corruption-free digital tendering, free education up to Class XII in municipal schools, health insurance cover of ₹5 lakh per family, a 30 per cent increase in green cover through urban forests, anti pollution measures, and a ₹1,000 monthly skill training stipend for unemployed youth.

Simultaneously, on December 22, the party unveiled a separate manifesto specifically targeting voters from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other northern states, a demographic estimated to comprise nearly 40 percent of Mumbai’s electorate. This document promises dedicated Chhath Puja ghats and immersion ponds, formal hawker zones with licensing and protection for street vendors, affordable lodging for migrant workers, additional CNG stations in high density areas, public restrooms at major transit hubs, and safeguards against discrimination in housing and employment. The strategy is widely viewed as an attempt to counter the sons of the soil discourse while consolidating a politically under represented voting bloc.

The ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, the Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar led NCP, is yet to release a consolidated manifesto, though one is expected shortly. In the interim, its priorities have been articulated through public statements and campaign speeches. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has repeatedly promised a Marathi Hindu Mayor, identification and deportation of Bangladeshi infiltrators, extension of the ₹1,500 monthly Ladki Bahin Yojana to the civic level, free rations for low income families, faster completion of metro corridors and coastal roads, AI driven traffic management systems, affordable housing under PMAY with priority for locals, and property tax relief for the middle class. The alliance frames its approach as development without appeasement and projects itself as the guarantor of law and order.

All parties promise women-centric cash transfers, improved flood control, expanded public transport, better housing and water supply, reflecting shared civic anxieties in Mumbai. However, the fault lines remain pronounced. The Shiv Sena UBT MNS alliance and the Mahayuti foreground the protection of Marathi linguistic, cultural and economic interests against perceived demographic pressure, while the Congress actively courts migrant communities that the other formations approach with caution or hostility.