The ongoing Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election results have marked a decisive shift in Mumbai’s political landscape, with the BJP-led Mahayuti emerging with a commanding lead and sharp political reactions pouring in from leaders across parties. Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) leader Milind Deora said the BMC elections have “put an end to the soap opera of Mumbai politics,” asserting that the city has chosen development, accountability and governance over “melodrama and masala.” In a clear swipe at the Thackeray family—without naming them—Deora said that “family drama failed to steal the spotlight this time.”
According to the latest trends, the BJP-led Mahayuti is leading in 125 of the 227 BMC seats, comfortably ahead of the Opposition. The BJP has emerged as the single largest party, leading in 99 seats. On the Opposition side, parties are ahead in 69 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) leading in 60 seats and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in 9 seats. The Congress is maintaining leads in 14 seats.
Vote counting for the BMC elections began at 10 am on Friday across 23 designated counting centres in Mumbai. Polling for all 227 civic wards was held on Thursday, January 15, with nearly 1,700 candidates contesting in what is considered one of the most significant civic elections in the country.
Continuing his attack, Deora alleged that for nearly 25 years, the BMC was treated like an “ATM” by certain individuals and families. “Mumbai Mahanagar Palika has been used like an ATM,” he said, claiming money was withdrawn from the civic body whenever it suited them. The undivided Shiv Sena had controlled the BMC for over two decades before the political realignments of recent years.
In the 2017 BMC elections, the BJP had made major inroads into Shiv Sena’s traditional stronghold, winning 82 seats, just two fewer than the then-undivided Shiv Sena. The Congress finished third with 31 seats, while the NCP and MNS were reduced to 9 and 7 seats, respectively. AIMIM had won three seats on its debut, the Samajwadi Party six, Akhil Bhartiya Sena one, and Independents four. The current elections are especially significant as they are the first BMC polls since the 2022 split in the Shiv Sena, when Eknath Shinde broke away and allied with the BJP. The BMC, regarded as India’s richest civic body with an annual budget exceeding ₹74,400 crore, is witnessing a high-stakes battle after a four-year delay.