BMC elections 2026: Due in 2022, what kept Mumbai’s civic polls on hold for 4 years?

BMC

• BMC elections to be held on Jan 15, 2026, after nearly four-year delay
• Polls delayed due to legal disputes, OBC quota issues, and Shiv Sena split
• Over 1.03 crore voters eligible; results to be declared on Jan 16, 2026

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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections will be held on Thursday, across 227 civic wards of Mumbai from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm.

The counting of votes will take place on Friday. As many as 1,700 candidates are in the fray, including 878 women and 822 men. There 1,03,44,315 voters comprising 55,15,707 men, 48,26,509 women and 1,099 eligible to vote in BMC elections.

However, the elections was originally scheduled for early 2022 but got delayed for nearly four years. The last BMC polls were held in 2017. The term of the corporators ended on March 7, 2022, and subsequent elections could not be held in time, resulting in the civic body being placed under an administrator.

Why were the polls delayed?

The delay was caused by a combination of legal battles, political shifts, and administrative hurdles:

1. Delimitation disputes: In 2021, the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government increased the number of BMC wards from 227 to 236. After the change in government in 2022, the Eknath Shinde-led government reversed this decision, reverting the count back to 227. This led to a series of legal challenges in the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court.

2. OBC reservation: A major legal hurdle was the Supreme Court's mandate regarding the "triple test" for Providing Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation in local bodies. The state had to collect empirical data to justify the quota, during which time the court ordered a status quo on elections.

3. Shiv Sena split: The political instability following the split in the Shiv Sena and the subsequent change in the state government led to further delays as both factions fought over symbols and legitimacy.

Current status and the road ahead

After years of being run by a state-appointed Administrator (the BMC Commissioner), the democratic process is finally being restored.

Election dates: The State Election Commission (SEC) has formally scheduled the BMC elections for January 15, 2026, with results to be declared on January 16, 2026.

Ward structure: The elections will be held for 227 wards, following the Supreme Court's direction to proceed with the pre-2021 boundary maps.

Voters and logistics: Over 1.03 crore voters are eligible. To encourage participation, the SEC has declared January 15 a public holiday in Mumbai.

What’s at stake for political parties?

The BMC is India's richest civic body, with a budget exceeding that of several small Indian states.

Control of Mumbai: For the Shiv Sena (UBT), it is a battle for survival and its traditional stronghold. For the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, it is an opportunity to end the Thackeray family's decades-long dominance over the city.