BMC election highlights: Campaigning ends for Maharashtra civic body polls, BJP eyes BMC

The campaigning has ended for the high-stakes elections on Tuesday with all eyes fixed on the big fight for Mumbai, where the BJP-led Mahayuti is making a strong pitch to control the BMC.

Polling for the 2,869 seats spread across 893 wards will begin at 7.30 am and conclude at 5.30 pm on January 15. A total of 3.48 crore eligible voters will decide the fate of 15,931 candidates, including 1,700 in Mumbai and 1,166 in Pune.

Here are some of the highlights of the day:

• Earlier in the day, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant criticised the introduction of caste and community narratives into the civic polls.
• Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis held a roadshow as he campaigns for Nagpur Municipal Corporation elections. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has made a big claim that the BJP and Shiv Sena alliance will win in Nagpur.
• Commenting on the possibility of Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray coming together ahead of the BMC elections in 2026, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant said the political mood in Mumbai was centred around Shiv Sena’s legacy and leadership rather than divisive issues.
• Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik meanwhile criticised chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai, alleging that both were indulging in divisive politics in the run-up to the BMC elections.

BMC election LIVE updates: Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora told news agency ANI, "The issues of Mumbai today are issues of development, civic amenities. Mumbai is the largest municipality in Asia. This is something we are proud of. But for the last 25 years, 2 families have looted Mumbai, have used the Mumbai municipality as a private ATM. We also wanted to use it as an ATM but the difference between our ATM and their ATM is for them ATM means 'Any Time Money' and for us ATM means 'Accountable to Mumbaikars'. We will ensure that Mumbai municipality, which is the largest civic body in Asia, is accountable to average Mumbaikars and that it works for them, not for private contractors."

BMC election LIVE updates: Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC says, “Statements don't get you votes. You get votes on the basis of your work. The person who did work on ground will get votes. The hardwork by Eknath Shinde for Mumbai and Maharashtra is how work is done actively.”

"Those who sit at home, simply pass statements and think that their politics will work like that. Those days are done. This is the time for politics of performance," she added, reported ANI.

BMC election LIVE updates: The Kerala Congress unit slammed Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, saying, “The Ministry of Home Affairs is supposed to track illegal immigrants and deport them. Since Amit Shah is completely useless, the BMC will take matters into its own hands and deport illegal immigrants to Bangladesh.”

“A BJP mayor is going to do what Amit Shah is unable to do. Is that what you are saying, @Dev_Fadnavis?” the party added.

The remarks came after the CM claimed, “We’ll free Mumbai from Bangladeshis. We’ve deported the highest so far. With AI, we’ll identify and deport 100% Bangladeshis. The AI tool will be ready in six months. Soon, there will be 10,000 BEST buses on the roads. We’ll identify and deport illegal Bangladeshis. Don’t worry about those leaders who’ve failed,” ANI reported.

BMC election LIVE updates: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant criticised the introduction of caste and community narratives into the civic polls.

“Now, where have these people brought up this issue of caste and community from?” he asked, stressing that the BMC election should centre on civic governance.

“It’s a municipal corporation election… and that’s the issue, talk about that, talk about what you want to give to the people,” he said, reported ANI.

BMC election LIVE updates: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis holds a roadshow as he campaigns for Nagpur Municipal Corporation elections. A clip shared by PTI showed the BJP leader riding a motorbike.

BMC election LIVE updates: Commenting on the possibility of Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray coming together ahead of the BMC elections in 2026, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant on Tuesday said the political mood in Mumbai was centred around Shiv Sena’s legacy and leadership rather than divisive issues.

“The atmosphere in Mumbai is all about ‘Shiv-Bhagwa’,” Sawant said, adding that “it’s about Uddhav and Raj, it’s about Aaditya, it’s about the ‘Mashaal’ and the engine,” reported ANI news agency.

He said there was a growing sentiment to vote out corruption, asserting, “Everyone has decided that by removing corrupt people from here, we will once again hoist the saffron flag.”

BMC election LIVE updates: Malik also took aim at what he described as efforts to divide people on linguistic and regional lines, particularly in the name of Marathi identity.

He said such narratives ran counter to Mumbai’s long-standing social fabric, which, according to him, has been shaped by people from different regions, languages and communities working together to build the city.

BMC election LIVE updates: The NCP leader accused political parties of invoking sensitive religious themes to influence voters during the campaign.

“The way religious sentiments are being incited in this election, Lord Ram has been brought into the election, and the burqa has also been brought in. Parties are seeking votes in the names of Bangladeshi infiltrators,” Malik alleged.

BMC election LIVE updates: Malik expressed confidence in the Nationalist Congress Party’s prospects in the civic polls, saying the party expected to perform well across several seats in the city.

“Today is the last day of election campaigning. I am confident that our candidates will be victorious in many seats in Mumbai,” he told ANI.

BMC election LIVE updates: Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik on Tuesday criticised chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai, alleging that both were indulging in divisive politics in the run-up to the BMC elections.

Speaking to mediapersons on the final day of campaigning, Malik said Mumbai’s identity was being undermined by attempts to polarise voters and stressed that the city’s strength lay in its cosmopolitan character and the collective contribution of people from diverse backgrounds, reported ANI.

BMC election LIVE updates: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has made a big claim that the BJP and Shiv Sena alliance will win in Nagpur.

Addressing the crowds, the chief minister said, "Looking at the overwhelming response from the people, I have no doubt that under the leadership of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance will break its past record and hoist the saffron flag at the Nagpur Municipal Corporation and in civic bodies of Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra."

The 151-seat Nagpur civic body will go to the polls on January 15. The BJP is contesting 143 seats, and Shiv Sena has fielded candidates on eight seats. The Congress is contesting independently on all 151 seats.

BMC election LIVE updates: Nationalist Congress Party chief and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday condemned the Brihanmumbai Municipal Elections (BMC) being given a 'communal angle.' As he reaffirmed that he has 'a secular mindset', he said that in such a diverse country like India, everyone is equally a citizen.

"I do not like this at all, I have a secular mindset. The ideology of Ambedkar does not teach us this. I just have to say that our country is so big, and those who stay in this country are all Indians. If someone is committing treason against the country, action should be taken against them, and they should be given the death penalty, a new law should be made," Ajit Pawar told ANI in an exclusive interview.

BMC election LIVE updates: As Maharashtra's Mumbai votes for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, the Maharashtra Election Commission has declared a public holiday on January 15 across areas where polling will take place. The move is aimed at ensuring maximum voter participation and smooth conduct of the civic polls.

Schools, markets and offices are expected to remain closed due to the public holiday. However, emergency services such as fire engines, ambulances, etc will continue. Read more here.

BMC election LIVE updates: Senior Shiv Sena leader Neelam Gorhe has expressed confidence that her party would secure a "good number" of seats in the Pune Municipal Corporation, enough to "influence decision-making" in the civic body.

The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, a constituent of the Mahayuti government, is contesting the January 15 polls to the 165-member Pune civic body separately as an alliance with its ally BJP could not materialise due to disagreement on seat-sharing.

"A mammoth rally was organised under the leadership of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Several senior leaders, including myself, Gulabrao Patil, Yogesh Kadam, Nilesh Rane, Kishor Patil and Vijay Shivtare, have been campaigning in the city," she told news agency PTI.

BMC election LIVE updates: Seventy years after the linguistic movement, the old fault line is again gaping wide. Overriding bad roads, bad air, bad water, inept and corrupt housing schemes, elections to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, India’s richest civic body, are being fought on identity politics.

At the heart of this is the Marathi manoos (people) who account for a third of the city’s 10.3 million voters. Estranged cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray have come together. Eknath Shinde, the valiant carpetbagger from Thane (not really Mumbai, according to purists), has wrested 90 of the 227 seats from the BJP, to prove, once and for all, that his is the real Shiv Sena. Even the Bharatiya Janata Party finds its hegemonic cultural appeal coming up short against the famously khadoos (grumpy) Marathi manoos. To counter the opposition’s accusations of promoting Gujarati interests, the party has promised that should they win on January 15, the mayor and the chief of the standing committee, which clears all BMC contracts, will be Marathi speakers. Read more here

BMC election LIVE updates: Nationalist Congress Party supremo and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday said that there is "nothing different" about his party contesting the polls separately from the Mahayuti alliance - which he is part of - as the parties have decided to fight in such a way to "empower and support" their respective workers.

According to Pawar, allying with Sharad Pawar's NCP faction for the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad election could lead to the vote share being consolidated, which would itself help them.

"Since I've been in politics, in all the elections we've fought since 1999, we had an alliance with the Congress. We were working together in the Lok Sabha, in Parliament, and fighting elections together. We were fighting on our respective symbols. The same thing happened in the Assembly elections. But in local body elections, to support and empower our respective party workers, we always fought against each other," Pawar told ANI news agency.

BMC Election LIVE Updates: Maharashtra BJP general secretary Rajesh Pande has said the party has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission over illegal hoardings allegedly put up by its Mahayuti ally NCP and other parties in Pune ahead of the civic body polls.

"In the run-up to the municipal corporation elections, the Nationalist Congress Party and other parties have put up unauthorised flex banners across the city. This amounts to a violation of the Model Code of Conduct. We have lodged a complaint with the Election Commission in this regard," said Pande .

BMC polls 2026 LIVE Updates: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani on Monday announced that around 1,700 candidates across 227 wards are participating in this election.

The BMC Commissioner further declared that the civic body is fully prepared to conduct the municipal elections. BMC is among the 29 municipal corporations set to head to the polls on January 15.

BMC polls 2026 LIVE Updates: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Chief Raj Thackeray has accused the ruling Mahayuti alliance of offering bribes to voters and opposition candidates for withdrawal of nominations in the upcoming local body elections.

While addressing a joint rally with Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders on Monday, he alleged that money has been offered to candidates to withdraw their nomination forms in 66 places (wards). He further said that money was being offered to voters despite claims of development.

"BJP people are distributing money, and Shinde's people are catching them. Don't know what is happening. I visited Kalyan-Dombivli and other poll areas. They are distributing ₹5,000 per vote. I don't understand. On the one hand, they claim to have worked toward development. On the other hand, they pay money and ask for votes. Then what development are you talking about?" said Thackeray.

BMC polls 2026 LIVE Updates: The State Election Commission (SEC) on Monday barred the Mahayuti-led Maharashtra government from releasing the January instalment of the 'Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin' scheme ahead of schedule.

The SEC issued the clarification after receiving multiple complaints triggered by media reports that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and minister Girish Mahajan had stated that eligible beneficiaries of the Ladki Bahin scheme would receive a consolidated amount of ₹3,000 for December and January in their bank accounts before Makar Sankranti on January 14.

The state election body has clarified that the decision to halt this instalment comes due to the enforcement of the model code of conduct in view of the upcoming Maharashtra civic polls. Read more here

BMC polls 2026 LIVE Updates: BJP leader K Annamalai from Tamil Nadu has landed squarely in the middle of election rhetoric in Mumbai, where the municipal election campaigns have turned into a contest over who's a true citizen and who's an outsider to India's financial capital.

The BJP leader's statements were slammed by UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray who said Annamalai's statements show his party "only wants to insult and loot" Mumbai and Maharashtra.

The strongest of reaction to Annamalai came unsurprisingly from Raj Thackeray of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).

He harked back to a controversial slogan from the 1960s and ’70s of the Shiv Sena founded by Raj Thackeray's uncle and Uddhav's father, the late Bal Thackeray - 'Hatao lungi, bajao pungi'

BMC polls 2026 LIVE Updates: The Supreme Court is set to hear a petition, challenging the Bombay High Court’s dismissal of his petition regarding the “mass rejection” of nomination forms for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections on “hyper-technical” and non-statutory grounds to “favour the ruling party”.

The matter is set to be heard today, two days before the elections on January 15.