2026 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation election

2026 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation election

←  2017 15 January 2026 2031 →
All 227 seats in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation 114 seats needed for a majority
Leader Devendra Fadnavis Eknath Shinde Nana Patole Party BJP SHS INC Alliance MY MY MVA Last election 82 New Party 31
Incumbent BMC majority Shiv Sena (2022–present)

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation election, 2026 is an election of members to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation which governs Greater Mumbai, the 2nd largest metropolis in India. The election will take place on 15 January, 2026 and the counting will take place on 16 January, 2026.

Background

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) after the civic elections 2017 will now be with Nine new wards, three are in urban areas, three in western suburbs and three in eastern suburbs. The three wards in the city are Worli, Parel and Byculla, Bandra, Andheri, Dahisar in the western suburbs, Kurla, Chembur and Govandi in the eastern suburbs. overall will now be with 236 corporators. 127 seats is the reserved for women, out of which belonging to Scheduled Castes 8 seats reserved for women and 1 for woman belonging to Scheduled Tribes. There will be 118 seats for open Castes women total 219 seats will be for open group. 15 seats Scheduled Castes and 2 seats Scheduled Tribes will be reserved. ^[1]

Delimitation

Four-member Ward System (Except BMC)

The Maharashtra government has implemented a new four-member ward system for most municipal corporations in the state, with the exception of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). While the ruling parties say that this action will improve democracy, the opposition has expressed worries about the delay in civic elections and asked why the administration has not approached the court to speed up the election process.

Updates on BMC Ward Boundaries

Source: ^[2]

• Rectified Boundaries: The BMC recently submitted a final draft of rectified boundaries for its 227 electoral wards to the State Election Commission (SEC). Approximately 20% of ward boundaries have been modified. ^{[3] [4]}
• Changes and Reasons:
  • Boundaries were updated based on voter additions and deletions in specific areas.
  • Changes consider population shifts due to redevelopment, infrastructure projects, and slum rehabilitation schemes.
• Extent of Change: About 25% of ward boundaries, affecting around 60 wards, have been altered.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has 24 administrative wards, which are further divided into 227 electoral wards (or constituencies) for elections, each with its own officer for local administration and services, with boundaries which have been redrawn in early 2025.

Process of Delimitation

• Directives from SEC: In August, the SEC instructed municipal corporations to start the delimitation process for ward boundaries. ^[5]
• Criteria for Changes: ^[6]
  • Adjustments were based on population changes, as shown in updated census data.
  • Significant changes (over 10%) in a constituency’s population triggered boundary modifications.
• Public Input: Once the SEC approves the draft, suggestions and objections from the public will be invited.

Population and Wards

• Population Basis: Each ward is designed to have approximately 54,000 residents. Adjustments accounted for population growth in suburban areas and decline in the island city. ^[7]
• Impact on Corporators: Delimitation led to the division of some suburban wards into four parts, affecting their representation.

Schedule

Ward Structure Event

Structure Event	Schedule [8]
Draft Ward Structure	1 February
Objections and Suggestion	14 February 2023
Final draft will be Submitted	2 March 2023

Poll Event

Poll Event	Schedule [9]
Issue of notification of election	15 December 2025
Last Date for filing nomination	30 December 2025
Scrutiny of Nominations	31 December 2025
Withdrawal of Candidature	2 January 2026
Date of Poll	15 January 2026
Date of Counting	16 January 2026

Parties and Alliance

Party				Flag	Symbols	Leader	Seats contested
	BJP + SHS [10]		Bharatiya Janata Party
			Shiv Sena
	SS(UBT) + MNS [11]		Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray)
			Maharashtra Navnirman Sena
	INC + VBA [12]		Indian National Congress
			Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi
	Nationalist Congress Party
	Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar)
	All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen
	Samajwadi Party

See also

• 2026 elections in India
• Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation

References

1. "BMC : मुंबईचे महापालिकेचे वॉर्ड आता 'असे' असतील; नवीन वॉर्ड पुनर्रचना प्रारूप अधिसूचना जाहीर". ABP Majha . 1 February 2022. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
2. "Disaster Management (MCGM)". dm.mcgm.gov.in. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
3. "Poll ball set rolling, BMC election may be delayed". The Times of India. 30 January 2022. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 12 December 2024.
4. "Mumbai: Boundaries of 148 BMC wards altered, alleges BJP". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
5. "BMC finalises ward boundaries for 236 seats, elections by March end". Hindustan Times. 20 January 2022. Archived from the original on 16 April 2024. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
6. "Citizens attend hearings on BMC's draft ward boundaries". The Indian Express. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
7. "Increase of wards in Mumbai only proper after 2021 population census, says Maharashtra government". India Today. 18 January 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
8. "BMC Redraws Electoral Map to Add 9 New Seats Ahead of Polls; Impacts 70% of Wards, Says Official". News18 . 2 February 2022. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
9. "Polls for BMC, 28 other municipal corporations on Jan. 15, vote count on Jan. 16". The Hindu. 15 December 2025. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 21 December 2025.
10. "BJP, Shiv Sena Finalise Seat-Sharing in Around 200 BMC Wards as Mumbai Gears Up for Polls - Goemkarponn - Goa News". 27 December 2025. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
11. Bureau, The Hindu (24 December 2025). "Shiv Sena(UBT) and MNS announce alliance ahead of Mumbai civic polls". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 28 December 2025.{{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
12. Desk, India TV News; News, India TV (28 December 2025). "BMC polls 2026: Congress, Prakash Ambedkar's VBA seal alliance, finalise seat-sharing pact". India TV News. Retrieved 28 December 2025.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)

External links

• State Election Commission Maharashtra Official Website