BMC Elections 2026: BJP Challenges Thackeray Stronghold, Mahayuti Nears Sweeping Win
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections of 2026 have sparked significant attention as trends indicate a possible shift in Mumbai’s political landscape. The alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena, known as Mahayuti, is reportedly leading in over 115 wards, while the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) are trailing in 70 wards. The Congress party holds an advantage in 13 wards.
BJP’s Dominance Across Maharashtra
The BJP’s success extends beyond Mumbai. In Nagpur, the city of the Chief Minister, the party is leading in 78 out of 151 seats, with Congress trailing at 22 seats. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) results showcase a similar trend, where BJP has made significant gains, leading in 50 of the 165 wards.
Pune Municipal Corporation Results
The elections in Pune have also seen interesting outcomes. In Ward 20, several BJP candidates were elected, including:
- Rajendra Shilimkar
- Tanvi Divekar
- Mansi Deshpande
Additionally, Gaurav Ghule from the NCP won against BJP’s Mahendra Sundecha.
Trends in Other Municipal Corporations
In the Thane Municipal Corporation, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s stronghold, the BJP leads in 21 out of 131 wards. Meanwhile, the NCP and the UBT-MNS-NCP(SP) are tied, each leading in six wards.
Nashik is also witnessing a significant performance from the BJP, leading in 12 of 122 seats. The MVA-MNS coalition has nine, while the Shiv Sena-NCP alliance holds 11.
Voter Turnout and Context
The BMC elections recorded a voter turnout of 52.94%, as reported by the State Election Commission. This marks the first civic elections held in Mumbai after an eight-year gap, with the previous polls conducted in 2017. The elections saw 54.76 lakh voters out of 1.03 crore eligible voters participating, including:
- 29.23 lakh men
- 25.52 lakh women
- 251 transgender voters
Allegations from the Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS alliance concerning misconduct during the elections were dismissed by the State Election Commission. Previous exit polls had hinted at a strong victory for the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, suggesting that the Thackeray brothers would finish second.
Looking Back: 2017 BMC Elections
For context, the 2017 BMC elections saw the undivided Shiv Sena winning 84 of the 227 seats. At that time, in conjunction with the BJP, the alliance achieved a majority, clinching 114 seats, with the BJP itself securing 82 seats.
The current trends suggest that the BJP may indeed challenge the Thackeray stronghold effectively, paving the way for a significant change in Mumbai’s governing landscape.
