BMC Elections 2026: Full schedule, voting time

BMC Elections: Voting and result dates

The election process began with the SEC issuing its notification on December 15, 2025. Voting for all wards under the BMC will be held on Thursday (January 15) across the Greater Mumbai region. Polling will be held from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm. To ensure high turnout, January 15 has been declared a public holiday in all municipal corporation areas that are going to the polls.

The counting of votes will take place on Friday (January 16). Officials said that the results will decide the winners in each ward and pave the way for the formation of the new civic administration.

BMC Elections: Total seats

The upcoming BMC polls will cover all 227 seats that constitute the governing body of Mumbai. Each ward will elect one corporator and a majority requires at least 114 seats. About 92 of the total seats fall under the General category, where no reservation applies. These wards are located in South Mumbai, the Western Suburbs and parts of Central Mumbai which makes them some of the most competitive and politically significant constituencies in the election.

BMC Elections: Total candidates in fray

BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani revealed that nearly 1,700 candidates are contesting across the 227 wards. He added that the civic administration is fully equipped to conduct the polls smoothly. As per PTI, 1,03,44,315 voters are eligible to cast their ballot. The electorate includes 55,16,707 male voters, 48,26,509 female voters and 1,099 citizens registered in the Other category.

A statewide civic poll

The BMC election is part of a larger civic poll taking place across Maharashtra. The SEC has scheduled elections for 29 municipal corporations on the same day which makes this one of the biggest civic electoral exercises in recent times. The result in Mumbai will draw the most attention due to the BMC’s massive annual budget, its responsibility over key civic infrastructure and its history as a major political battleground. As Mumbai enters the final stretch before polling day, the entire administrative network is focused on ensuring a fair, peaceful and efficient election. The results will shape how the megacity addresses its long-standing and emerging urban challenges in the coming term.

BMC Elections: Mahayuti Vs Maha Vikas Aghadi 

The ruling Mahayuti alliance comprises the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde), and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-Ajit Pawar). The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) includes the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar), and the Indian National Congress. However, the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has joined hands with the Shiv Sena (UBT) for the BMC polls, while the Congress has allied with the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA).

The BJP is contesting 136 wards in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), while the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) is fielding candidates in 89 wards. The alliance has not put up candidates in wards 145, 167, 211, and 212, and is witnessing friendly contests in wards 34, 173, and 225. On the other side, the Shiv Sena (UBT) is contesting 164 wards, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) 52 wards, and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) 12 wards. This alliance has no candidates in wards 107, 211, and 226, while friendly fights are underway in wards 140, 143, 175, and 179. Meanwhile, the Congress-VBA-RSPS alliance has not fielded candidates in 26 wards.