Voting is underway today for civic body elections across Maharashtra, covering 29 municipal corporations, with Mumbai and Pune emerging as the main political battlegrounds. The polls, being held after a long delay, are widely seen as a crucial test of political strength and identity ahead of larger state and national contests.
Polling began at 7.30 am for a total of 2,869 seats across 893 wards in the 29 civic bodies. The elections are taking place years after the scheduled term of most municipal corporations ended between 2020 and 2023. Voting will continue until 5.30 pm, while counting of votes is scheduled to begin at 10 am on January 16.
BMC election draws maximum attention
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), India’s richest civic body, remains the centre of attention. Unlike other corporations, the BMC follows a single-member ward system, meaning each voter casts only one vote. In the remaining 28 civic bodies, wards have three to five seats, requiring voters to cast multiple votes.
The BMC poll is particularly significant for the Thackeray brothers, Uddhav and Raj, who have come together in its backdrop after two decades. The election is seen as an opportunity for them to reassert their claim as political heirs of Bal Thackeray and revive their influence in Mumbai, a city long governed by the undivided Shiv Sena.
Test of Marathi identity politics
The elections are also being closely watched as a test of the “Marathi Manoos” plank. Rooted in the Samyukta Maharashtra movement of the 1950s and shaped politically by Bal Thackeray, the Marathi identity has remained a defining feature of Mumbai’s politics and a core theme for the Thackeray-led parties, particularly the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.
BJP-Shinde alliance and NCP in fray
For Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who split the Shiv Sena in 2022, the civic polls offer a chance to regain lost ground and reinforce his claim as Bal Thackeray’s political successor. His alliance partner, the BJP, is contesting 137 of the BMC’s 227 seats, while the Shinde-led Sena is contesting the remaining 90. The BJP, which won 82 seats in the last BMC election in 2019, is aiming to significantly improve its tally.
Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar’s faction of the Nationalist Congress Party is contesting the polls independently after differences with the BJP over leadership issues. The party is hoping to regain influence, especially in Pune, where the undivided NCP had controlled the civic body for a decade between 2007 and 2017.
With high political stakes, delayed polls and shifting alliances, today’s civic elections are expected to offer clear signals about Maharashtra’s evolving political landscape.