Voting for Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections in Maharashtra will be held on January 15 and the results will be announced the very next day. The special thing is that elections are being held after almost a decade. According to the latest survey, this time Shiv Sena (Uddhav Bala Saheb Thackeray) is in a strong position. It is being said that women voters can also play a decisive role on many other issues including security.

In a survey conducted by Ascendia on December 25, it was asked that how much impact will the faces of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis have in the elections? Regarding this, 4 percent of the women surveyed, 4 percent of Muslim voters, 2 percent of Marathi voters and 4 percent of others agreed. These four sections included in the survey will vote on the basis of the councilor’s work.

What did Muslim voters tell?
According to the survey, 12 percent Muslim voters say that they will vote for the party that fields a Muslim candidate, while 2 percent will vote for a candidate who is in a position to defeat BJP. 10 percent were seen in support of Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray alliance. In the survey, 11 percent were seen in favor of the Congress-led alliance, while 64 percent did not give any answer.

44 BJP candidates elected unopposed
Let us tell you that 68 candidates of Mahayuti had won unopposed till Friday. BJP leader Keshav Upadhyay said that 68 candidates of BJP and Mahayuti have been elected unopposed across the state, which shows the growing strength of the party in urban local bodies. Let us tell you that among the candidates elected unopposed, 44 BJP candidates are included, out of which the highest number is from Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation of Thane district.

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Bala Saheb Thackeray) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena had alleged that the ruling party was using money to remove opposition candidates. He had also made allegations of threatening.

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In Maharashtra, where big/main parties are engaged in talks for the Municipal Corporation elections, Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party has released the first list. The party has announced candidates for 21 wards of Mumbai. Releasing the list of candidates, the party said that as per the instructions of Maharashtra State President Abu Asim Azmi, the first list of candidates contesting from Samajwadi Party in the upcoming Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections has been released today (26 December).

Giving more information on this subject, Chief General Secretary of Samajwadi Party, Meraj Siddiqui said that the party will contest the elections with full strength in all the wards of Mumbai and very soon the list of other candidates will also be declared.

list of candidates

1.Ward 20 – Mohammad Azharuddin Siddiqui

2.Ward 64 – Dr. Sheela Akhilesh Yadav

3.Ward 90 – Sana Abbas Qureshi

4.Ward 96 – Subhash Shaikh Shabbir

5.Ward 134 – Poet Shahbaz Khan Azmi

6.Ward 135 – Shahbaz Sabir Shaikh

7.Ward 136 – Rubaba Nazeen Siddiqui

8.Ward 137 – Ahad Yunus Qureshi

9.Ward 140 – Appati Vidyasagar Dawar

10.Ward 141 – Zayed Imranullah Qureshi

11.Ward 142 – Jyoti Laxman Gude

12.Ward 143 – Ayesha Rahmatullah Sardar

13.Ward 148 – Sakshi Sunilkumar Yadav

14.Ward 174 – Dr. Arama Thakur

15.Ward 181 – Mohammad Adil Mumtaz Shaikh

16.Ward 188 – Ghaus Mohiuddin Latif Khan

17.Ward 201 – Irfan Sajid Ahmed Siddiqui

18.Ward 212 – Amreen Shahzad Abdullah

19.Ward 213 – Dominic Malik

20.Ward 220 – Ghulam Makhdoori

21.Ward 224 – Rukhsana Zafar Tikamwala

Samajwadi Party going alone in BMC elections!

Samajwadi Party is part of the ‘India’ block. Mahavikas Aghadi under India Block in Maharashtra includes Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar’s party NCP (SP). Despite this, Samajwadi Party is adopting the strategy of running alone in the BMC elections. Samajwadi Party’s Maharashtra unit president Abu Azmi had recently announced that SP alone will contest Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections on about 150 seats. Earlier, Samajwadi Party had also contested the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections alone, in which the party had won 2 out of 9 assembly seats.

When will BMC elections?

There is a competition among political parties to gain power over the 227-member BMC. The countdown for the elections of 29 municipal corporations including BMC in Maharashtra has started. Voting will take place on 15 January 2026 while the results will be declared on 16 January.

Maharashtra politics has once again heated up regarding Mumbai’s BMC elections. Controversy has arisen over the statement of MNS chief Raj Thackeray in which he had said that the Mayor of Mumbai will be Marathi and he will be ours. After this statement, sharp reactions are coming from the ruling camp.

Sanjay Shirsat targeted Raj Thackeray

Minister Sanjay Shirsat has strongly retaliated on Raj Thackeray’s statement. He said, “I am surprised by the statement made by Raj Thackeray yesterday. It means that you cannot take care of your own children, you have come out to take care of Maharashtra. You have come out to take care of Mumbai Municipal Corporation. You have come out to rule there. How can this happen?”

He further said, “They are not even able to handle their own children. The children have grown up. Today, they do not like your policies, your words. That is why they are leaving the house and not running away. They are leaving the house and entering their house separately at another house.”

This statement of Shirsat is being considered as a direct attack on the political credibility of Raj Thackeray.

What did Raj Thackeray say in the joint press conference?

Actually, MNS chief Raj Thackeray had given this statement in a joint press conference with Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction) chief Uddhav Thackeray. During this he had said that Maharashtra is bigger than any kind of dispute. He announced that their alliance has been formed and the Mayor of Mumbai will be Marathi and will be his.

The joint press conference of Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray is being linked to the upcoming municipal elections. The signs of the two leaders coming together have created a stir in Maharashtra politics. At the same time, it is clear from the sharp statements of leaders like Sanjay Shirsat that the political conflict on this issue is going to intensify.

Before the BMC elections, an alliance was formed between Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray but the number of seats was not announced. On this, Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said that number sharing is business in politics. Here there is no business between brothers, this is family. We will see what we have to do.

What did you say about Congress?

Regarding Congress, he said, “We have requested Congress many times that if BJP has to defeat us then it will have to come together.”

#WATCH Mumbai, Maharashtra: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said on the alliance of Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS ahead of the municipal elections, “Number sharing is business in politics. There is no business among brothers here. It is family… We have requested Congress many times that if we have to defeat BJP… pic.twitter.com/a89ET6Zy2P

— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) December 24, 2025

The speculations that had been going on for several months came to an end

It is noteworthy that putting an end to the speculations that had been going on for months, both the brothers announced the alliance. In a joint press conference with Raj Thackeray, Uddhav Thackeray said that the two parties have come together to live together. Both of them said that they have united for the interest of ‘Marathi Manush’ and Maharashtra. Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray are cousins.

Uddhav said that his grandfather Prabodhankar Thackeray was a social reformer and writer. He was a prominent figure in the Samyukta Maharashtra movement and his father Bal Thackeray and uncle Shrikant, who was the father of Raj Thackeray, also played important roles in this movement. All of them contributed significantly in ensuring that Mumbai remained a part of the state. However, Raj Thackeray did not share the detailed information about seat sharing between the two parties in the BMC elections.

Mumbai mayor will be Marathi and will be ours – Raj Thackeray

Raj Thackeray said, “Mumbai’s mayor will be Marathi and he will be ours.” Uddhav said both parties have finalized the seat sharing for Nashik Municipal Corporation, where elections are to be held on January 15, as well as in Mumbai and 27 other municipal corporations in the state. Uddhav Thackeray said, “Those who cannot tolerate what is happening in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) can join us.”

The seat sharing formula of Mahayuti is now considered almost fixed. There was a detailed discussion on finalizing the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance in a marathon meeting between Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and BJP State President Ravindra Chavan at Shinde’s residence in Thane that lasted for about five hours.

This meeting started late in the night and continued till 4 in the morning, in which there were indications of agreement on coordination of seats in various municipalities of Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) including Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli. The alliance has now reached the final stage and an official announcement is likely to be made soon.

Who attended the meeting?

Shiv Sena MP Dr. Shrikant Shinde, MP Naresh Mhaske and General Secretary Rahul Shewale were also present in the meeting. According to sources, in the next two days, discussions will be held at the local level regarding division (ward) level candidates, so that the names can be decided keeping in mind the ground equations. During this, the leadership, achievements and efficiency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi were also discussed in detail, where the leaders present shared their personal experiences with PM Modi and emphasized on strengthening the alliance.

Devendra Fadnavis and Ravindra Chavan’s pair is finding love!

Bharatiya Janata Party has once again proved itself to be the number-1 party in the Municipal Council and Nagar Panchayat elections of Maharashtra. BJP has achieved historic success in these elections on the basis of development-oriented politics of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and strong organizational ability, precise strategy and effective leadership of BJP State President Ravindra Chavan.

These results of local self-rule organizations have further strengthened the credibility of the “Devendra-Ravindra” duo, which has been held in high regard for a long time among Maharashtra BJP workers. The slogan echoed during the election campaign “Tumchi Aamchi BJP Sarvanchi” (Your-Our BJP, Everyone’s BJP) has been realized by the public in the form of votes. State President Ravindra Chavan said this while talking to journalists after the results.

Ravindra Chavan is playing an important role!

Ravindra Chavan, after assuming the responsibility of state president six months ago, ran a disciplined, restrained and aggressive public relations campaign across Maharashtra. During this period, the organization was strengthened by including many senior leaders in BJP. These elections were considered to be the real test of the leadership of Ravindra Chavan, who had a strong hold in the Konkan region, in which he proved successful by getting full marks.

In these elections, in many parts of the state, BJP was in direct competition with Shinde faction’s Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction). Despite this, due to the political acumen of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and organizational ability of Ravindra Chavan, BJP won many important places. Besides, both the leaders did the math very well to ensure that the balance of power is maintained in the Grand Alliance.

The discussion has also intensified in the political circles that through these results, BJP has given a message of its political status to the leaders of the second row of allies. These election results have also given a new dimension to the ongoing speculations regarding the relationship between Shrikant Shinde and Ravindra Chavan.

Now all eyes are on the municipal elections to be held in January, especially the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). It is believed that if the Devendra-Ravindra duo moves forward with a similar strategy, then BJP’s dominance can continue in the coming municipal elections also. In such a situation, it will be very important politically to see with what strategy the allies of Mahayuti enter the field.

Supriya Sule gave a big statement on Tuesday (23 December) on the alliance between Sharad Pawar faction and Ajit Pawar faction in the Pune Municipal Corporation elections. He said that no formal talks have started yet. He said that Punekar i.e. the people of Pune and the development of Pune are important for Pune. The election of Pune is not of any individual but of the people here. He said that neither we have sent the official proposal nor he has sent the proposal. Discussion is going on in every ward. Every ward has a different calculation. Our complete details of Mahavikas Aghadi have been discussed.

Supriya Sule made this appeal to Congress

Supriya Sule said, “We will decide after discussion whether to take someone into the alliance or not. This is not a matter of children. It is a question of everyone’s career. It cannot be taken lightly. Our efforts will be to ensure that Mahavikas Aghadi stays together. We request the Congress to fight the elections together.”

Whatever we do will be in the interest of Pune – Supriya Sule

The MP from Baramati said, “Whatever we do will be in the interest of Pune. They are in power in Pune for seven years. Traffic has increased in Pune. What 24*7 water has they given? Tankers come to my building too. There is a problem of pollution. They are in power in Delhi for 11 years. Mumbai and Pune are in the same situation. But there is no solution to air pollution, no solution to traffic, what have they done about schools and hospitals?” Have you rectified it?”

What did you say on Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray?

Supriya Sule said that it keeps going back and forth. On the alliance of Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, he said that we want Mahavikas Aghadi to unite and contest the Municipal Corporation elections of Maharashtra. He said that we are in talks with Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT).

A big announcement has been made by Congress regarding the upcoming BMC elections in Maharashtra. Congress party has made it clear that it will not contest the upcoming Mumbai Municipal Corporation i.e. BMC elections with Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA). Congress took this decision after the review meeting held in Mumbai.

This decision is being considered a big political blow for MVA. According to experts, the BMC elections of 2026 are the semi-finals of state politics and these decisions can also impact the upcoming assembly elections.

Why does Congress want to go alone in BMC?

In the Congress meeting held in Mumbai, it was unanimously decided that Congress will contest the BMC elections alone. However, despite distancing itself from the MVA, the Congress seems keen on an alliance with Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA).

The performance of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi in the recent Nagar Panchayat and Municipal Council elections has strategically attracted the Congress. On behalf of Mumbai Congress, All India Congress Committee Secretary U. B. Venkatesh, Sachin Sawant and former minister and MLA Aslam Shaikh met Vanchit president Prakash Ambedkar. According to Congress, the talks have been positive and both the parties can soon make a formal announcement of the alliance.

Committee formation and election program

Mumbai Congress has formed a three-member committee to take forward talks with Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi. This committee includes MLA Amin Patel, former MLA Madhu Chavan and AICC Secretary and chief spokesperson of Mumbai Congress Sachin Sawant. Congress says that there will be a meeting again soon and the alliance will be finalized. Meanwhile, the State Election Commission has announced the election schedule of 29 municipal corporations. Voting for all municipal corporations including BMC will be held in a single phase on January 15, 2026, while counting of votes will be done on January 16, 2026.

Elections have been announced for BMC, the country’s largest municipal corporation. Voting will be done on January 15 and counting of votes will take place on January 16. The big question is who will take over this municipal corporation dominated by Thackeray’s Shiv Sena this time? This time, along with the political scenario, the map has also changed in BMC.

There are 236 seats here, in 2017 there were 227 seats. BMC elections were to be held in the year 2022, but they were delayed due to issues related to ward delimitation and reservation. In September 2025, the Supreme Court had said that local body elections should be completed by January 31, 2026.

In the 2017 elections, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena emerged as the largest party and captured the post of Mayor in alliance with BJP. Shiv Sena had got maximum 84 seats. BJP had got 82 seats. Shiv Sena was united then under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray. Whereas Congress won 31 seats, NCP 9, MNS 7 and AIMIM won two seats.

This time, till the announcement of elections, there has been no announcement on the alliance formula in both the party and opposition camps. An alliance is expected with a friendly fight in the elections. BJP, Shiv Sena Shinde faction and Ajit Pawar’s NCP are definitely talking about fighting together, but there is every possibility of a friendly fight.

Angry Eknath Shinde!

In fact, during the Panchayat elections, Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde appeared quite angry with the BJP’s stance. The party said that BJP has defeated their leaders.

Such was his displeasure that he did not even attend the cabinet meeting. However, after the elections, BJP did damage control. There was a long meeting between Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shinde and after this BJP announced that we will fight the local elections together. At the same time, BJP is angry with Ajit Pawar’s NCP. NCP has given command of BMC elections to Nawab Malik, BJP is opposing it. In such a situation, the time to come will tell what will be the equation of Mahayuti in the elections.

NCP will take decision today

NCP has called a meeting on Tuesday (16 December) at 4 pm. Sources said that whether to contest the elections as a grand alliance or to consider any other option, this will be discussed in today’s meeting.

Small workers have a lot of expectations from local elections, in such a situation all the parties want to bring maximum seats to their side. The grand alliance of all three parties is currently in the Maharashtra government. At the same time, small parties like RPI are also hoping to get seats in Mahayuti.

BJP is going to start the first round of talks with constituent parties for BMC elections from today. BJP will hold talks with Shiv Sena and RPI Athawale today.

condition of opposition alliance

There is confusion about the stand of Congress due to Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction) and Raj Thackeray joining MNS in the opposition. Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray have come together after 20 years. Both the brothers are faced with the challenge of survival. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut has reached MNS President Raj Thackeray’s house today to discuss seat sharing.

The unity of the Thackeray brothers put the Congress in a dilemma. Different voices are being raised within the party. Some believe that one should fight separately from Thackeray. At the same time, some party leaders also believe that fighting with Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS will be beneficial.

Regarding the conversation, Sanjay Raut said, “There may be a formal announcement from the Thackeray brothers this week.” As of now I don’t think Congress is with us. I had spoken to the Congress High Command, who had left the decision to the local unit. Let us tell you that Congress has called a meeting today regarding BMC elections.

The stand of Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) is awaited. The closeness between uncle and nephew has increased in recent times amidst confusion regarding Ajit Pawar in Mahayuti and Sharad Pawar in MVA. Recently, Prafulla Patel of Ajit Pawar group attended Sharad Pawar’s birthday party. The photo of the meeting sparked a new discussion in political circles.

In the last assembly and Lok Sabha elections, Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (SP) had contested together. This Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance defeated Mahayuti in the Lok Sabha elections, however, it suffered a crushing defeat in the Assembly elections.

The last election was held on 21 February 2017 and the result was announced on 23 February. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is considered to be the largest municipal corporation in Asia. In the last budget, an expenditure of about Rs 75,000 crore was estimated for the current financial year. In such a situation, the eyes of all parties are fixed on BMC.

The dates of municipal elections in Maharashtra have been announced. State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare said that the code of conduct is being implemented in 29 municipal corporations from today (December 15). There is a plan to hold local body elections before January 31. Elections for all 29 municipalities including BMC will be held on January 15. The results will come on January 16. There will be 10 thousand 111 polling stations. Will use the list of July 1, 2025.

Candidates can file nomination for BMC elections from 23rd December to 30th December. Withdrawal of candidature can be taken till 2 January 2026. Election symbols can be distributed till January 3, 2026.

Activities of political parties intensify regarding BMC elections

The tenure of 27 municipal corporations in Maharashtra has ended. These elections are pending since 2022. These elections were to be held in the year 2022 itself but there was a lot of delay in it due to the issues of ward delimitation and reservation. The Supreme Court had issued instructions to complete the local body elections by January 31, 2026. After the announcement of elections, the political activities of all the political parties have intensified. Everyone has become more active in making their own strategies.

The country’s richest municipal corporation

BMC elections have been considered very important in the politics of the state. This affects the equations of state as well as national politics. BMC is the richest municipal corporation in the country. Its annual budget is quite big. In such a situation, all the political parties of the state have come together to exert their full strength to gain control over it. 227 corporators are elected in BMC.

Who will get how many seats in the 2017 elections?

In the 2017 BMC elections in Maharashtra, BJP had won 82 seats. Whereas 84 councilors of undivided Shiv Sena had won. Whereas Congress won 31 seats and NCP won 9 seats. The post of Mayor had gone to the undivided Shiv Sena.

However, now the entire political equation of the state has changed. Along with Shiv Sena, NCP is also divided into two groups. There are two alliances in the state, Mahayuti and Mahavikas Aghadi. Currently, there is a Mahayuti government in the state under the leadership of Devendra Fadnavis. In such a situation, now everyone’s eyes are especially on BMC elections.

Political activities have intensified regarding BMC elections in Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra. Meanwhile, on Sunday (November 23), Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray warned Marathi speaking people. He said that if Marathi speaking people are not cautious then the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections may prove to be the last elections for them.

While addressing the inaugural ceremony of MNS Konkan Mahotsav here, Raj Thackeray appealed to the party workers to remain alert. In a brief message, the MNS chief said, “Maintain your vigilance, otherwise loss is certain. If you are not alert, the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election will be the last election for Marathi people. And its consequences will be far-reaching.”

He said that once Mumbai is out of our hands, we will not be able to do anything. If Mumbai goes out of our hands, these people will create havoc, Raj Thackeray attacked the ruling parties without naming them. Raj Thackeray had raised the issue of discrepancies in the voter list and had recently participated in a joint march taken out by the opposition.

‘Keep an eye on the voter list’

Raj Thackeray also said that do not be careless, check the voter list, keep an eye on your surroundings. The way politics is going, keep an eye on the voter list. It is important to keep your attention on whether the voter is real or fake. He also said that the upcoming Mumbai Municipal Corporation election will be the last election of the Marathi people. Raj Thackeray said, if we remain careless then it will go out of our hands.

Claim of irregularities in voter list

Local body elections are currently going on in the state, and municipal elections are likely to be held immediately after the City Council and Nagar Panchayat elections. Meanwhile, the opposition is continuously making serious allegations against the Election Commission, claiming that there are irregularities in the voter list.