Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday expressed confidence that the ruling Mahayuti alliance will secure a victory in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections scheduled next month. Speaking to reporters in Pune, the Chief Minister said that the electorate would support the alliance based on the government’s performance. Emphasising continuity in governance, he said, “Mahayuti will contest the elections in Mumbai and, considering the work done by our government, the people will once again hand over Mumbai to us in the form of a municipal corporation. This is my belief.” He added that the alliance remains united and prepared for a direct contest in the civic polls.
According to the State Election Commission, polling for elections to 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra, including the BMC, will be held on January 15, while counting of votes and results will be announced on January 16. The nomination process will begin on December 23 and continue until December 30, with scrutiny scheduled for December 31. January 2 has been fixed as the last date for withdrawal of nominations, and election symbols will be allotted on January 3. These long-pending local body elections are being conducted following Supreme Court directions to complete the process by January 31, 2026, as polls have been due since 2022.
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The BMC election is expected to witness a straight fight between the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi. Mahayuti comprises the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party. The opposition alliance includes the Congress, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP-SP. The election gains significance as it will be the first BMC poll after the 2022 Shiv Sena split and amid a renewed political alignment following Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray coming together to contest the civic elections jointly.