BMC poll results: BJP-Sena alliance crosses majority mark
What's the story
The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance has crossed the halfway mark in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, taking the lead in 119 of the 227 seats. Party-wise, the BJP is ahead in 88 seats; Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena in 31 seats. The counting of votes for the elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the BMC and Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), began at 10:00am. The BMC is Asia's richest civic body, with an annual budget of over ₹74,400 crore.
Cousins
Thackeray cousins behind
The Thackeray cousins are behind, leading in 70 wards. While Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena is leading in 64, Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) is leading in four wards. According to the civic body, 2,299 officials and staff are monitoring the BMC vote counting, including 759 supervisors, 770 assistants, and 770 Class IV employees. All personnel underwent prior training to guarantee that the process goes well.
Political dynamics
Congress opens account
Meanwhile, the Congress opened its first account, with Asha Deepak Kale securing victory in Ward 183 in Dharavi. Six other candidates have also been declared winners in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections. Rekha Yadav of BJP won from Ward No. 1, while Varsha Tembwalkar of Shiv Sena emerged victorious from Ward No. 51 and Shaila Lande from Ward No. 163. Other winners include Tejaswini Ghosalkar from Ward No. 2 and Ajit Patil from Ward No. 214, both from the BJP.
Pune predictions
Pune's political landscape and voter turnout
Exit polls predict a major victory for the BJP and Shinde's Shiv Sena in the BMC elections, with an estimated 132 seats between them. In Pune, the BJP was expected to emerge as the largest party with around 70 seats in the 165-seat PMC. Per exit polls, the NCP faction led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was predicted to win 55 seats, while Sharad Pawar's faction 10 seats. For this poll, the uncle and nephew had formed an alliance.
Twitter Post
Visuals from Worli
#WATCH | Mumbai | The vote counting for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections has started.
— ANI (@ANI) January 16, 2026
Visuals from a counting centre in Worli. pic.twitter.com/HK1xpNfoKh
Election details
Voter eligibility and municipal corporations involved
Polling was held for 2,869 seats across 893 wards in the 29 civic bodies. A total of 3.48 crore voters were eligible to vote in this election. The other municipal corporations where votes are being counted include Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar, Kalyan-Dombivli, Kolhapur, Nagpur among others. The results will determine the political landscape of these key urban centers in Maharashtra.