BMC poll results: BJP alliance ahead on 118 seats, Shiv Sena (UBT) on 70

Mumbai BMC election vote counting: The counting process for over 200 municipal wards of India's richest civic body started at 10 am on Friday

Trends indicate a tight contest in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led alliance leading on 118 seats and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) ahead on 70. Congress is leading on 12 seats.

 

The counting process for 227 municipal wards of India’s richest civic body started at 10 am on Friday. The final results will be declared later today. A party or alliance will need 114 seats to secure a simple majority and form the civic body.

 

A voter turnout of 52.94 per cent was recorded in the Mumbai civic polls, down from 55.53 per cent in the last elections in 2017.

 

Why BMC elections matter

Although the polls are local, BMC elections carry significant political weight at the state and national levels. Control of the civic body is seen as a major measure of political strength and influence, prompting all major parties to invest heavily in the contest.

 

The latest election assumes significance as it comes after a long delay. The BMC’s last elected term ended in 2022, and since then, the city has been governed by administrators instead of elected representatives. The long gap has made the 2026 election important for restoring an elected civic leadership.

What do BMC Mumbai exit poll say?

Exit polls suggest that the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance is likely to win the BMC elections. The alliance of the Thackeray brothers is expected to come second, while the Congress and its partners are projected to perform poorly.

 

According to Axis My India, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance may win 131-151 seats. The Shiv Sena (UBT)–MNS–Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) (SP) alliance is likely to get 58–68 seats, while the Congress-led alliance may win only 12–16 seats. Others could get 6–12 seats.

 

Axis My India also estimates vote share at 42 per cent for the BJP–Shiv Sena alliance, with BJP at 28 per cent and Shiv Sena at 14 per cent. Shiv Sena (UBT) is expected to get 24 per cent, MNS 7 per cent, and NCP (SP) 1 per cent.  Mumbai BMC Election Results 2026: Full ward-wise list of winners

Who won the last BMC elections?

The last full BMC election was held in 2017, during which Shiv Sena emerged as the single largest party with 84 seats, followed closely by the BJP, which won 82 seats.

 

The Congress secured 31 seats, while other parties, including the NCP and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), also won representation. No party achieved a clear majority, though the Shiv Sena remained dominant in the civic body.

 

Subsequent elections were delayed due to disputes and legal challenges, leaving the BMC without elected members until the 2026 polls. In March 2024, IAS officer Bhushan Gagrani was appointed as the municipal commissioner by the state government.