Mumbai recorded a voter turnout of 52.94% in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections 2026, lower than the previous civi polls held in 2017 in Mumbai. The highest voting was reported from the Bhandup area.
Polling was held on Thursday, January 15, across 227 wards of BMC. The city has a total of 1.03 crore registered voters. Voting took place at 10,231 polling stations.
Despite BMC having launched an extensive voter awareness campaign to boost turnout, political parties also stepped up their outreach. As a result, a higher voting percentage was expected. However, turnout remained lower than anticipated. Confusion over voter lists led many residents to return without voting. Voter fatigue and disillusionment with politics were also cited as reasons for the lower turnout.
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With the number of polling stations increased, each centre catered to around 800 to 1,000 voters. Although the BMC had made detailed arrangements to avoid overcrowding, voters reported minimal waiting time, with many completing the process within ten minutes. Despite smooth arrangements, enthusiasm among voters remained limited, contributing to the lower turnout.
In the 2017 elections, Mumbai had 91.8 lakh voters and around 7,700 polling stations. This year, the voter base increased by nearly 12 lakh, while the number of polling stations was significantly expanded. The higher number of booths resulted in shorter queues and less crowding at polling centres.
Highest Turnout in Bhandup
The highest voter turnout was recorded in Ward 114 of Bhandup, where 64.53 percent polling was reported. Rajul Patil, daughter of MP Sanjay Dina Patil, is contesting from the Thackeray brothers’ alliance in this ward. MNS candidate and former corporator Anisha Majgaonkar is also in the fray, making it a closely watched contest. Bhandup is considered a stronghold of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. Supriya Dhurat is contesting from the BJP–Shiv Sena (Shinde) alliance.