- Counting process draws focus on Mumbai civic polls
- Political stakes high amid alliances and turnout trends
Counting of votes for the Maharashtra civic polls began on Friday morning across 29 municipal corporations, drawing strong political attention, especially in Mumbai. The exercise covers elections held for 2,869 seats across 893 wards, including 227 seats in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The contest has become a prestige battle, with several major political alliances closely watching the outcome.
Polling took place on Thursday, and officials reported that around 50 percent voting was recorded across the 29 civic bodies. State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare confirmed the turnout figure after voting ended. Meanwhile, officials said Mumbai recorded a voter turnout of 52.94 percent. This figure is lower than the 55.53 percent turnout seen during the 2017 civic elections.
In Mumbai, the stakes remain especially high. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has an annual budget of over Rs 74,400 crore, making it India’s richest civic body. As many as 1,700 candidates contested the 227 seats. Notably, these elections were held after a delay of four years. Unlike Mumbai, other urban bodies followed a multi member ward system.
These civic polls carry added political weight. They are the first BMC elections since the 2022 split in the Shiv Sena. After the split, Eknath Shinde broke away with a majority of party MLAs and later allied with the BJP. Since then, the political equations in Mumbai have shifted sharply.
For 25 years, from 1997 to 2022, the undivided Shiv Sena controlled the BMC. Now, the BJP led Mahayuti alliance, which includes the Shiv Sena, hopes to secure a clear majority. However, the political field has changed. Ahead of the elections, Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray reunited after two decades. The leaders of Shiv Sena UBT and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena joined hands to consolidate Marathi votes.
Meanwhile, the Congress also made a strategic move in Mumbai. The party contested independently of its Maha Vikas Aghadi allies. It joined hands with Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and the Rashtriya Samaj Paksh in the state capital.
Elections to these 29 municipal corporations were held after long gaps. The terms of most bodies ended between 2020 and 2023. Of these, nine civic bodies fall within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, which remains India’s most urbanised belt. The vote counting will decide the political control of key urban centres across Maharashtra.
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