Mumbai BMC Election 2026 LIVE Updates: Exit Polls Predict Grand Victory For Mahayuti, Poor Show By Thackeray Cousins

Axis My India Exit Poll results projected the BJP-led Mahayuti Alliance at 42 per cent vote share, followed by the Shiv Sena (UBT)-led alliance at 32 per cent. The exit poll results also predicted Congress and others at 13 per cent each.

According to the JVC exit polls, Mahayuti is likely to get 138 seats, while the Uddhav and Raj Thackeray alliance is expected to get 59 seats. The exit poll results showed Mahayuti leading with 44 per cent vote share. The JVC Exit Poll result further projected 23 seats for Congress and 7 for others.

The Sakal exit poll for the BMC elections on Thursday projected that the BJP-led Mahayuti will emerge as the single largest bloc with 119 seats in the 227-member civic body. The Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS alliance is expected to put up a strong show with 75 seats. Congress is projected to win around 20 seats, while other parties are likely to secure 14 seats.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday clarified that postal ballot boxes will be taken out of the strong room only on the day of counting, January 16, 2026, alongside Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), following allegations by former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray. This follows a letter in error circulated on January 8, 2026, which was later withdrawn and replaced.

"As per the revised instructions, the postal ballot boxes will not be taken out of the strong room on Thursday, January 15, 2026, at 3.00 pm," the BMC said. It added that, in line with the orders of the Maharashtra State Election Commission, the postal ballot boxes will be removed from the strong room only on Friday, January 16, the day scheduled for counting of votes, along with the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

The clarification comes in the backdrop of allegations raised earlier in the day by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who questioned the handling of postal ballot boxes and alleged irregularities in the election process. Thackeray claimed that postal ballot boxes were to be removed from the strong room before counting, raising concerns about transparency.

The ruling Mahayuti is expected to win 138 wards in Mumbai, JVC exit poll predictions show on Thursday. The exit poll, meanwhile, has predicted that the Thackeray union -- Uddhav and Raj Thackeray Alliance -- is likely to grab 59 seats.

The voting has concluded for the high-stakes Brihannmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). According to State Election Commission, around 41 per cent voter turnout has been recorded in Mumbai till 3:30 pm. Fresh estimates will come later. State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare said after voting ended at 5:30pm, that 46-50 per cent turnout has been recorded across the state so far.

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan turned up at a Mumbai polling booth to exercise his right to vote in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. After casting his vote, he quickly posed for the paps and showed his inked finger, of course, with a dash of his swag.

Ranbir Kapoor, who cast his vote in the BMC elections, appealed to voters to come out and exercise their franchise. He said, "It's your job, it's your duty as a citizen to come out and vote. We complain round the year regarding the lack of amenities. This is your right to come out and vote...I also want to thank the BMC. Year after year, if it's Ganpati Utsav, if it's elections, they always make such good facilities. So, we should really be grateful and thankful to them."

Amid controversy over people allegedly wiping off the ink on their fingers immediately after casting votes, the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) on Thursday said that any attempt to erase the ink applied to one's finger to create confusion among voters is a serious act of misconduct. The SEC stated that if any individual is found attempting to vote again after erasing the ink, appropriate legal action will be initiated against them.

"Even if someone attempts to commit malpractice by wiping off the ink, they will not be able to cast a second vote. Precautionary measures are already in place to prevent this. Since every voter's participation is recorded immediately after they cast their vote, merely erasing the ink does not enable them to vote again. All concerned officials have been re-instructed to remain vigilant regarding this matter," said the SEC.

Several voters complained of difficulties in exercising their franchise for the civic polls underway, including change in polling booths and name location on the physical electoral rolls. Even election staff and party functionaries, on the other side of the poll process, found common ground with the segment of disgruntled voters, with many claiming the list given to them had poorly printed photographs, making verification tiresome. Many voters said their polling booths of years had been changed or merged without adequate prior information, while some were seen running around from one helpdesk to another trying to find their names on the rolls.

Actress Soha Ali Khan has taken to her social media account to highlight the issues prevailing in Mumbai, asking people to show up for vote and make a difference. Sharing a picture of herself with her finger inked, Soha wrote, "Dug up roads. Senseless construction. Traffic jams. Pollution. This is your time to vote Mumbai, not just complain #makeadifference #bmc #municipalelections #vote #everyvotecounts."

An estimated 30 per cent of the eligible voters cast their ballots till 1:30 pm in elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday as prominent politicians and Bollywood celebrities exercised their franchise and urged others to do so. A BMC spokesperson said the average voter turnout stood at 29.96 per cent till 1:30 pm in the metropolis, which has more than 1 crore eligible electors.

As per the polling data released till 1:30 pm, Ward No. 114 in the Eastern suburbs recorded the highest voter turnout at 41.08 per cent, reflecting strong voter participation in parts of Mumbai. Ward No. 227 in South Mumbai logged the lowest turnout at 11.24 per cent in the first 6 hours.

BMC Mumbai Election 2026 LIVE: BJP MP Hema Malini cast her vote in the ongoing BMC elections in Mumbai and urged citizens to exercise their right to vote. The actor-turned-politician said Mumbai is the best city in the world, and only by exercising their right to vote, citizens will be able to make it even better.

An average of 17.73 per cent of voters cast their ballots in the first four hours of polling for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections on Thursday. According to a BMC spokesperson, the average voter turnout stood at 17.73 per cent till 11.30 am.

Social media platforms were flooded with videos of common voters, politicians and mediapersons using Acetone to wipe off the ‘indelible' ink on their fingers after voting. Congress leader Varsha Gaikwad Lok Sabha member Varsha Gaikwad posted a video of her party colleague using Acetone to wipe off the ink from his finger.

"BMC wiping off accountability? Since morning we have been receiving several reports of how the marker ink being used to show voting has been done, is easily being wiped off. My colleague and his wife here demonstrate how this ink can be easily wiped off with acetone or nail polish remover," she posted on X.

The BMC, however, rejected reports claiming that the ink marks on voters' fingers were being wiped off during the ongoing civic polls. The BMC said in a statement that such media reports were factually incorrect. As per procedure, polling staff apply indelible ink to one finger of the voter's left hand at the time of casting the vote on the electronic voting machine at the polling station, it said.

After casting his vote for the BMC elections, Singer Kailash Kher said, "The people of Mumbai are very responsible, they fulfil their duty, we just have to carry forward this tradition... Every person should step out of their home and vote..."

Ward 54: Viplav Avsare (BJP) Ankit Sunil Prabhu (Shiv Sena-UBT) Rahul Subhash Thoke (VBA)

Ward 55: Harsh Bhargav Patel (BJP) Shailendra Anant More (MNS) Chetan Harishankar Bhatt (Congress)

Ward 56: Rajul Sameer Desai (BJP) Laxmi Nitin Bhatia (Shiv Sena-UBT) Usha Shyam Tirpude (VBA)

Ward 57: Srikala Ramchandra Pillai (BJP) Rohan Dashrath Shinde (Shiv Sena-UBT) Gaurav Madhavi Arun Rane (Congress) Ajay Dattaram Vichare (NCP)

Ward 58: Sandeep Dilip Patel (BJP) Virendra Vijay Jadhav (MNS) Suryakant Mishra (Congress)

Ward 59: Yogiraj Dabhadkar (BJP) Yashodhar Shailesh Phanse (Shiv Sena-UBT) Jayesh Ramdas Sandhe (Congress) Rakesh Kolhe (NCP)

Ward 60: Shaili Raghunath Kulkarni (BJP) Meghna Vishal Kakade Mane (Shiv Sena-UBT) Gladys Britto Shriyan (Congress)

Ward 61: Rajul Suresh Patel (Shiv Sena) Sejal Dayanand Sawant (Shiv Sena-UBT) Divya Avaneesh Singh (Congress) Afreen Mohammad Asif (NCP)

Ward 62: Raju Shripad Pednekar (Shiv Sena) Zeeshan Changez Multani (Shiv Sena-UBT) Saif Ahad Khan (Congress) Ahmed Khan (NCP)

Ward 63: Rupesh Gajanan Savarkar (BJP) Devendra (Bala) Amberkar (Shiv Sena-UBT) Priyanka Ganpat Sanap (Congress) MM Yadav (NCP)

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said, "When I reached the polling station where I usually vote, I noticed that my name was not on the list. I was sent to another location, where I cast my vote. I appeal to all Mumbaikars to vote in large numbers and please check your polling booth details before going to vote. It is very important to vote for a party that has earned our trust over the years."

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said, "People should come forward and exercise their right to vote in the municipal elections being held in Maharashtra. This gives you a good opportunity to express your likes and dislikes. We hope the results will be positive."

Ward 50: Vikram Pratapsingh Rajput (BJP), Tanvi Dinesh Rao (Shiv Sena-UBT), Sameer Balaram Mungekar (Congress)

Ward 51: Varsha Swapnil Tembhavkar (Shiv Sena), Aarti Sachin Chavan (NCP-SP), Rekha DIlip Singh (Congress)

Ward 52: Preeti Manoj Satam (BJP), Supriya Sandeep Gadhave (Shiv Sena-UTB), Swati Eknath Sangle (Congress)

Ward 53: Ashok Khandve (Shiv Sena), Jitendra Hiralal Valvi (Shiv Sena-UBT), Nitin Vitthal Valvi (VBA)

"Today, voting is taking place for the elections of 29 municipal corporations. Your one vote strengthens democracy. Please take out time to vote and fulfill your responsibility by exercising your right in democracy," CM Fadnavis posted on X.

Actor Junaid Khan and his family show their inked finger after casting their vote for the BMC elections.

Actor Nana Patekar arrived at a polling booth in Mumbai on Thursday morning to cast his vote in the ongoing Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. He said he had travelled three hours from Pune just to cast his vote.

The highest voter turnout was recorded in Ward number 18 in Mumbai city at 11.57 per cent. Whereas, ward no 162 recorded the lowest turnout at 1.68 per cent. A total of 7,36,996 voters have cast their votes out of a total 1,03,44,315. According to official data released by the State Election Commission (SEC), nearly twice as many men as women have cast their votes. 4,54,539 men have cast their vote in BMC elections, compared to 2,82,433 women.

Ward 39: Vinaya Vishnu Sawant (Shiv Sena), Pushpa Ramesh Kalambe (Shiv Sena-UBT), Madhu Brijesh Singh (Congress), Suman Indrajit Singh (NCP)

Ward 40: Sanjay Baburao Awhad (BJP), Tulisram Shinde (Shiv Sena-UBT), Aditya Rakesh Yadav (RSPS), Vikas Dagdu Ghule (NCP)

Ward 41: Mansi Prathmesh Patil (Shiv Sena), Suhas Chandrakant Wadkar (Shiv Sena-UBT), Rahul Ugale (Congress)

Ward 42: Dhanshree Bharadkar (Shiv Sena), Pranita Pradip Nikam (Shiv Sena-UBT), Manisha Arun Surve (VBA)

Ward 43: Vinod Udaynarayan Mishra (BJP), Ajit Balkrishna Raorane (NCP-SP), Sudarshan Fulchand Soni (Congress)

Ward 44: Sangeeta Sharma (BJP), Saili Rajesh Sakpal (Shiv Sena-UBT), Savitri Mahendra Yadav (Congress)

Ward 45: Sanjay Namdeo Kamble (BJP), Nirav Ramnarayan Barot (Shiv Sena-UBT), Ramesh Bharat Yadav (Congress)

Ward 46: Yogita Sunil Koli (BJP), Snehita Sandesh Dehalikar (MNS)

Ward 47: Tajinder Satnam Singh Tiwana (BJP), Ganesh Shankar Gurav (Shiv Sena-UBT), Parminder Singh Bhamra (Congress), Chetti Bhaktinathan (NCP)

Ward 48: Salma Saleem Almekar (Shiv Sena), Ganesh Shinde (NCP-SP), Rafiq Eliyas Shaikh (Congress), Cyril Peter Dsouza (NCP)

Ward 49: Sumitra Darshan Mhatre (BJP), Sangeeta Sanjay Sutar (Shiv Sena-UBT), Sangeeta Chandrakant Koli (Congress)

Lyricist Gulzar cast his vote at a polling booth in Mumbai’s Bandra area for BMC elections.

Mumbai recorded 7.12 per cent voter turnout till 9.30 am.

Ward 33: Ujjwala Pramod Vaiti (BJP), Sarika Sandeep Parte (Shiv Sena-UBT), Qamarjahan Moeen Siddique (Congress)

Ward 34: John Dennis (BJP), and Vijay Sudhakar Mahadik (Shiv Sena), Vikas Dashpute (Shiv Sena-UBT), Hyder Ali Aslam Shaikh (Congress)

Ward 35: Yogesh Rajbahadur Verma (BJP), Dipak Dawal More (Shiv Sena-UBT), Parag Sureshchandra Shah (Congress)

Ward 36: Siddharth Shrikant Sharma (BJP), Prashant Shantaram Mahadik (MNS), Sanjay Bharat Nagrecha (Congress)

Ward 37: Pratibha Hemant Shinde (BJP), Yogita Prashant Kadam (Shiv Sena-UBT), Meena Chandrashekhar Dubey (Congress)

Ward 38: Rishita Mangesh Chache (Shiv Sena), Surekha Parab (MNS), Tejaswini Gaikwad (VBA), Mayuri Mahesh Swami (NCP)

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut with brother Sunil Raut came at a polling station in Mumbai to cast his vote for the BMC elections.

Maharashtra Forest Minister and BJP leader Ganesh Naik was unable to vote in the civic elections in Navi Mumbai because his name was not on the voter list. "My name was not on the voter list, so I could not cast my vote," Naik said.

Ward 27: Neelam Sunil Gurav (BJP) Asha Vishnu Chander (MNS) Sangita Dattatreya Shingade (VBA)

Ward 28: Vrushali Suresh Hundare (Shiv Sena) Prajakta Prashant Kokane (Shiv Sena-UBT) Ajanta Yadav (Congress)

Ward 29: Nitin Chauhan (BJP) Sachin Patil (Shiv Sena-UBT) Dev Kumar Kanojia (Congress)

Ward 30: Dhaval Vora (BJP) Dr Diwakar Patil (Shiv Sena-UBT)

Ward 31: Manisha Kamlesh Yadav (BJP) Jyoti Bhaskar More (Shiv Sena-UBT) Bhagyalaxmi Rajpurohit (Congress)

Ward 32: Manali Ajit Bhandari (Shiv Sena) Gita Kiran Bhandari (Shiv Sena-UBT) Sireena Zicco Kinny (Congress)

"I urge everyone to come out and vote. Just like I came this morning to vote. If you want security, progress, clean air, and pothole-free roads in Mumbai, then we all have to take responsibility and vote. Only by exercising your right to vote will you be able to make Mumbai, which I believe is the best city in the world, even better. I request all the citizens of Mumbai to come and vote for the right people," veteran actor and BJP MP Hema Malini said after casting her vote for the BMC elections.

Ward 24: Swati Sanjay Jaiswal (BJP), Mukta Mahesh Bhrasdia-Patel (Shiv Sena-UBT), Saroj Dilip Magar (VBA)

Ward 25: Nisha Parulekar (BJP), Yogesh Janardan Bhoir (Shiv Sena-UBT), Prashant Narsinh Kharatmal (VBA)

Ward 26: Pritam Pandagale (BJP), Dharmendra Rajaram Kale (Shiv Sena-UBT), Suresh Chandra Rajhans (Congress), Surendra Arjun Ladange (NCP)

Ward 18: Sandhya Vipul Doshi (Shiv Sena), Sadichha Kabirdas More (MNS), Neelam Mhatre (Congress)
Ward 19: Dakshata Kaothankar (BJP), Leena Gudhekar (Shiv Sena-UBT)
Ward 20: Deepak Bala Tawde (BJP), Dinesh Salvi (MNS), Mastan Ishtiaq Khan (Congress)
Ward 21: Leena Patel Dehrekar (BJP), Sonali Dev Mishra (MNS)
Ward 22: Himanshu Sunil Parekh (BJP), Ashish Arun Patel (Shiv Sena-UBT), Pradeep Kothari (Congress)
Ward 23: Shiv Kumar Jha (BJP), Kiran Ashok Jadhav (MNS), Rajendra Pratap Pandey (Congress), Murari Jha (NCP)

After casting his vote for the BMC elections, Musician Vishal Dadlani says, "...Hopefully, whoever wins will hold the elections on time. This is very important for the country, for democracy. But given the state of our city in the last few days, the hope is that things will improve. I've stopped asking people to vote... What I'm seeing here is that there's hardly any public presence. There are more officials inside, it's so shameful. Every Indian should feel pain seeing this. If we don't take care of our country, if we don't take responsibility for it, then what's happening will continue to happen... First of all, the air and water should be clean, the basic necessities for human life."

As part of the election process, banks within municipal limits will remain closed. This applies to both government and private banks. As many banks provide essential services, it’s important to consider this closure if you had planned to handle any banking matters.

The Mumbai Police has announced a traffic advisory alerting city residents of road closures, parking restrictions, and diversion schedules on Thursday in view of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election.

Western Suburbs (Malad and Kandivali): Road closures will occur on Vasanji Lalji Road and Bajaj Road in the P North ward until midnight on Friday, January 16.

Dadar and Shivaji Park: Swatantryaveer Savarkar Marg and Keluskar Road will witness restrictions until midnight today.

South Mumbai (Island City): Roads heading upto major counting centers and the BMC Headquarters will witness some closures and restrictions throughout Thursday and Friday.

Ward 12: Suvarna Padmakar Gavas (Shiv Sena), Sarika Shashikant Jhore (Shiv Sena-UBT)
Ward 13: Rani Trivedi (BJP), Ashawari Patil (Shiv Sena-UBT)
Ward 14: Seema Kiran Shinde (BJP), Puja Kunal Mainkar (MNS)
Ward 15: Jigna Nikunj Shah (BJP), Jasjayeshree Edwin Bangera (Shiv Sena-UBT)
Ward 16: Shweta Sharad Korgaonkar (BJP), Swati Borkar (Shiv Sena-UBT)
Ward 17: Dr Shilpa Sangore (BJP), Ashwani Sagar Sarfare (Shiv Sena-UBT), Sangeeta Madan Kadam (Congress)

Ward 9: Shivanand Shetty (BJP), Sanjay Waman Bhosale (Shiv Sena-UBT), Sadanand Chavan (Congress)
Ward 10: Jitendra Ambalal Patel (BJP), Vijay Krishna Patil (MNS), Dr Avinash Mukund Sankhe (Congress)
Ward 11: Aditi Bhaskar Kharsung (Shiv Sena), Kavita Rajendra Mane (MNS)

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal and his wife Seema Goyal cast their votes at a polling station in Mumbai for the BMC elections.

More than 25,000 constables and 3,000 officers, including 10 additional commissioners, 33 deputy commissioners, and 84 assistant commissioners of police, have been deployed at various polling stations and strategic locations for the BMC elections.

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar arrives at a polling station in Mumbai to cast his vote for the BMC elections.

After casting her vote for the BMC elections, Actress Twinkle Khanna said, "I think it gives us a sense of control, a little bit of power over the narrative, and I am voting both out of habit and hope. "

he BJP and Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) are contesting most municipal elections together under the Mahayuti (grand alliance), but are contesting separately in Pune. Meanwhile, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray's MNS have joined forces on the issue of Marathi Manus. The two Thackeray cousins have come together after nearly two decades.

Both factions of the NCP are contesting together in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar have reached an agreement to avoid vote division. In Pune, the Shiv Sena (Shinde) has decided to contest the elections alone if a seat-sharing arrangement with the BJP fails.

Ward 6: Diksha Harshad Karkar (Shiv Sena), Sanjana Vengurlekar (Shiv Sena-UBT)

Ward 7: Ganesh Dattaram Khankar (BJP), Saurabh Vinod Ghosalkar (Shiv Sena-UBT), Ashish Fernandes (Congress)

Ward 8: Yogita Nilesh Patil (BJP), Kasturi Chandrakant Rohekar (MNS), Ratna Prabhakar Junnarkar (Congress)

Voters lined up at a polling station in Pali-Chimbai Municipal School in Mumbai to cast their votes for BMC Elections.

Maharashtra Minister Ashish Shelar cast his vote in the BMC elections. He said, "This is the most important election for Mumbai's development and the budget of over 40,000 crore rupees. We have to make our city a developed Mumbai."

Former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar cast his vote at a polling booth in Balshikshan School in Pune for the Maharashtra civic body elections.

On BMC elections 2026, Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC told ANI, "The voting began with the blessings of Maa Mumba Devi and Shri Siddhivinayak. I urge every Mumbaikar to cast their vote because it is a quality of democracy which empowers you to voice your questions..."

Ward 3: Prakash Yashwant Darekar (BJP), Roshni Gaikwad (Shiv Sena-UBT), Pradeep Ramakant Chaubey (Congress), Manish Chandrakishore Dubey (NCP)

Ward 4: Mangesh Dattaram Pangare (Shiv Sena), Raju Mulla (Shiv Sena-UBT), Rahul Ramshankar Vishwakarma (Congress)

Ward 5: Sanjay Shankar Ghadi (Shiv Sena), Sujata Patekar (Shiv Sena-UBT), Dr Narendra Kumar Sharma (Congress)

After casting his vote, Actor Akshay Kumar said, "Today, the voting for BMC is taking place. As Mumbaikars, we have the remote control with us today. I would request all the people of Mumbai to come out in large numbers and cast their votes. If we have to be the real hero of Mumbai, we shouldn't do dialoguebaazi, instead come out and cast out votes."

Ward 1: Rekha Ram Yadav (Shiv Sena), Foram Jiten Parmar (Shiv Sena-UBT), Sheetal Ashok Mhatre (Congress)

Ward 2: Tejashwi Abhishek Ghosalkar (BJP), Dhanashree Vilas Kolge (Shiv Sena-UBT), Menka Girish Singh (Congress)

There are 1,700 candidates from all parties contesting for the 227 municipal corporations in the BMC. Of these, 822 are men and 878 are women. In 2017, voter turnout was 55 per cent. This time, the State Election Commission has tried several new methods to increase voter turnout.

Booths have also been set up in multi-story buildings. A total of 10,344,315 Mumbai voters will cast their votes on January 15. Election results for 29 municipal corporations, including Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, and Nashik, will be announced on January 16.

In light of the elections, the Maharashtra government has declared a public holiday for citizens within the affected municipal areas. The announcement means that government offices, schools, and other public institutions will remain closed for the day. It’s advisable for residents to complete any essential tasks in advance to avoid last-minute hassles.

Elections for the Mumbai Municipal Corporation are being held after a gap of eight years and 11 months. In 2017, voting for the BMC elections took place on February 21, 2017. At that time, the undivided Shiv Sena, which fought separately, won 84 seats and the BJP 82.

Certain items and activities are strictly banned near polling booths:

-Mobile phones must be switched off inside polling stations

-Lighters, flammable items and sharp objects are not allowed

-Campaigning is prohibited within 100 metres of polling centres

-Distribution of pamphlets or publicity material is banned on polling day

Officials have also warned people not to spread or believe rumours related to the election process.

Voters must carry valid photo identification to cast their vote. Accepted documents include:

Voter ID card issued by the Election Commission of India

Aadhaar card

Passport

Driving licence

PAN card

MNREGA job card

Pension document with photograph

Photo identity cards issued to MPs, MLAs or government employees

Voting began at 7.30 am in 227 wards of Mumbai on Thursday. Votes will be counted on January 16. Authorities have made all arrangements for smooth voting, including sufficient polling staff and equipment at all booths.