BMC Election Exit Polls 2026: Polls predicts majority for BJP-led Mahayuti, big blow to Uddhav-Raj jodi

A total of 23 Election Decision Officers have been appointed for the 227 municipal wards. As per the schedule announced by the State Election Commission, Maharashtra, counting will begin at 10 am on January 16. For each Election Decision Officer’s office, a designated strong room and counting venue have been finalised.

The BMC has deployed 2,299 officers and employees for the vote-counting process. This includes 759 supervisors, 770 assistants, and 770 Class IV employees, all of whom have undergone pre-training.

Vote counting for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation General Election 2025–26 is scheduled to start on Friday, January 16, 2026, at 10 am. The process will be held at 23 designated centres throughout Mumbai, according to the civic body on Thursday.

The Sakal exit poll for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections projects the BJP-led alliance, Mahayuti, as the single largest bloc with 119 seats in the 227-member civic body.

The Shiv Sena (UBT)-led 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.

North Indians

BJP+: 68%

Thackeray+: 19%

Congress: 2%

South Indians

BJP+: 61%

Thackeray+: 21%

Congress: 8%

Marathi voters

BJP+: 30%

Thackeray+: 49%

Congress: 7%

Muslim voters

BJP+: 12%

Thackeray+: 28%

Congress: 41%

Source: Axis My India

Maharashtra exit polls (BMC polls): Axis My India

Total wards: 227

BJP+: 131–151

UBT+: 58–68

Congress+: 12–16

Others: 6–12

Exit poll projections show the BJP emerging as the single-largest party in terms of vote share in the BMC elections. The party is estimated to secure around 28% of the votes.

The Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray, is projected to follow with about 24% vote share. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena is trailing behind both parties in the overall vote share, according to the exit poll estimates.

The Axis-My India exit poll forecasts a decisive victory for the BJP-led alliance in Mumbai. According to the projections, the BJP+ is expected to win between 131 and 151 wards, while the Shiv Sena (UBT) is likely to secure 58 to 68 wards. The Congress is projected to bag 12 to 16 wards. The magic number in the 227-member BMC is 114.

The exit polls also predicted 23 seats for Congress and 7 for others.

According to JVC exit poll results, Mahayuti is likely to get 138 seats, while the Uddhav and Raj Thackeray alliance is expected to reach 59 seats.

Exit poll numbers indicate that the BJP-led Mahayuti is drawing strong support from women and younger voters in Mumbai. Around 44% of women voters are estimated to have backed the alliance. Among voters aged 18 to 25, about 47% favoured the BJP, compared with 25% support for the Uddhav Thackeray-led alliance, or UBT+.

However, the trend appears to reverse among senior citizens. Voters aged 61 and above in Mumbai are showing a preference for the Shiv Sena (UBT), pointing to a clear age-wise split in voting patterns.

Polling concludes at 5.30 pm. Polls record 40.5% voting till 3:30 pm for BMC.

Voting for the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections wrapped up in Mumbai on Thursday, alongside polls for 28 other municipal corporations across Maharashtra, according to an Election Commission official.