Battle for India’s richest civic body: Stage set for high-stakes BMC election

Octroi is gone, but the cash keeps flowing. Here’s the BMC’s real revenue playbook, its spending priorities, and the power shift after the elected house ended.

• BMC elections in Mumbai to be held on January 15 with over 1.03 crore voters
• Thackeray cousins reunite, forming alliance against BJP-Shinde Sena dominance
• BMC poll seen as key for financial clout and political influence in Mumbai

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Ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, Mumbai has turned into an epicentre of India’s most complex urban political contest.

Polling for the municipal corporation will be held on January 15, with over 1,700 contestants in the fray for 227 wards. According to PTI , more than 1.03 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots in the BMC elections.

BMC remains India's richest civic body, with a budget of nearly Rs 60,000 crore for FY 2024-25, far exceeding allocations for Delhi, Bengaluru, and Kolkata.

This will be the Shiv Sena’s first BMC election since the 2022 split, when Eknath Shinde broke away with most of the party’s legislators, along with its name and symbol. The undivided Shiv Sena had held sway over the country’s richest civic body for 25 years.

Battle of alliances

The first major outcome of this election is the reunion of the Thackeray brothers.  After nearly two decades, Raj has now joined hands with his cousin Uddhav. Both parties—Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and MNS—are coming together to save the “Thackeray brand” in Mumbai.

The Uddhav-Raj Thackeray reunion with the Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS, bitter rivals for decades, has united against the BJP-Shinde Sena dominance, invoking Marathi pride and Balasaheb Thackeray’s legacy.

However, the “Marathi vs non-Marathi" narrative has been intensified by K Annamalai’s controversial remark that Mumbai is a "global city".

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has already predicted that Raj Thackeray would emerge as the biggest loser in his alliance with his cousin Uddhav.

While the Thackerays are positioning themselves as messiahs of the Marathi “sons of the soil”,  the BJP is projecting itself as a party of development while subtly campaigning as the party of all non-Marathi Hindus.

In a rare alliance, the Congress joined hands with the Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (VBA) of Prakash Ambedkar. According to Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal, this is a reunion of natural allies. The Congress and VBA’s earlier avatar, Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh, fought together in the 1998 Lok Sabha election, winning a majority of Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra.

Raining sops

The Mahayuti promised a 50 per cent concession for women in BEST bus travel, while the Thackeray cousins have assured a Rs 1,500 monthly allowance for women domestic helps and a property tax waiver on houses up to 700 sq ft.

On the other hand, the Congress manifesto prioritised combating Mumbai’s pollution, upgrading the BEST fleet, and strengthening the city’s financial health.

The Congress also flagged a possible code of conduct violation, alleging that Ladki Behen funds were disbursed just before polling day.

Since BMC controls contracts, infrastructure projects, and civic administration in Mumbai, winning the city’s civic poll translates into financial clout, patronage networks, and sustained political influence. Hence, it is important for all parties. The Mahayuti alliance (BJP-Shinde Sena-Ajit Pawar NCP) hopes to leverage state power and organisational strength, while the MVA (UBT Sena-Congress-Sharad Pawar NCP) is banking on anti-incumbency, Marathi sentiment, and sympathy for Uddhav.