Bmc

Nearly one in four BMC winners face criminal cases, ADR analysis shows

Nearly one in four winning candidates in the 2026 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls have declared criminal cases against themselves, while close to four-fifths are crorepatis, according to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). The ADR, which studied affidavits of all 227 winning candidates, said 54 winners, or 24 per cent, have declared criminal cases, while 29 candidates, or 13 per cent, face serious criminal charges. The data was compiled along with Maharashtra Election Watch from candidates' self-sworn affidavits filed during the civic polls. Party-wise analysis showed that 33 per cent of the winners from the BJP have declared criminal cases, followed by 24 per cent from Shiv Sena and 15 per cent from Shiv Sena (UBT), the report said. The financial profile of candidates also indicated a strong presence of wealthy contestants. Up to 180 of the 227 winners, about 79 per cent, declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore, with the average assets of

Meet Ritu Tawde, three-term BJP corporator now Mumbai's 78th mayor

Ritu Tawde, a BJP corporator from Ghatkopar, was elected unopposed as Mumbai's 78th mayor, marking the party's return to the top post in the BMC after 44 years

Mumbai mayor polls: Nominations to be filed on Sat; polls on Feb 11

Nominations for the post of Mumbai mayor will be filed on February 7, while elections connected to it will take place on February 11, though none of the parties have announced names of candidates as yet. In the January 15 polls to the 227-member Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats, while its ally Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena won 29 seats. The ruling alliance, with a combined strength of 118 corporators, is past the halfway mark of 114 and is well placed to secure the mayor's post. The Shiv Sena (UBT), which ruled the civic body for 25 years since 1997, won 65 seats, while its allies, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), won six and one seat, respectively. Mumbai's next mayor will be a woman corporator from the general category, as decided through a lottery conducted by the state Urban Development Department last month, an official said. A newly elected BJP corporator,

Mumbai to get woman mayor from general category after lottery: Official

Mumbai's next mayor will be a woman from the general category, as determined by a lottery conducted by the Maharashtra Urban Development Department on Thursday, an official said. The procedure was, however, opposed by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar, who claimed that the rules to arrive at this decision were changed without informing anyone. She said the last two mayors were from the general category, so the new mayor should have been from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) or the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category. "We condemn the way the procedure (of lottery) was conducted," Pednekar said. The lottery determines the category for which the mayor's post will be reserved, such as general, women, SC, ST, and OBC categories. Once the category is announced, eligible candidates file their nominations. Elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and 28 other civic bodies in the state were held on January 15.

Task cut out for BJP in Maximum City after Mahayuti's civic victory

With the Mahayuti alliance wresting control of India's richest civic body, it now needs to deliver on the promises it made to each section of the economic strata

BMC election results 2026: Here's a list of winners across top wards

Mumbai BMC election vote counting: The counting process for 227 municipal wards of India's richest civic body started at 10 am on Friday

Antony Waste Handling Cell zooms 20% on heavy volumes

Till 02:01 PM on Friday; a combined 3.37 million equity shares representing 11.87 per cent of total equity shares of Antony Waste Handling Cell had changed hands on the NSE and BSE.

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

Exit polls project Mahayuti win in BMC as Maharashtra polls see 50% turnout

Around half the electorate voted in the BMC and 28 other civic bodies in Maharashtra, with exit polls projecting a Mahayuti alliance win in Mumbai as counting is set for Friday

BMC polls: Voters claim ink can be wiped with acetone; poll panel responds

Videos of voters wiping 'indelible' ink with acetone raised questions over poll transparency, but the State Election Commission and BMC said such acts are illegal

'Poor planning': Nithin Kamath on markets shutdown for Mumbai civic polls

In a post on X, Zerodha co-founder Nithin Kamath said the closure of markets with 'international linkages' for a local poll showed a 'serious lack of appreciation for second-order effects'

BMC elections see 17.73% voter turnout in first four hours of polling

An average of 6.98 per cent of voters exercised their franchise in the first two hours of polling for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections on Thursday, officials said. Polling began at 7.30 am amid tight security arrangements across Mumbai and will continue till 5.30 pm. The average voter turnout stood at 6.98 per cent till 9.30 am, a BMC spokesperson said. Data released by the civic body showed wide variations in voter participation across wards. The highest turnout of 11.57 per cent was recorded in ward number 18 in the western suburbs, while the lowest turnout of 1.68 per cent was reported in ward number 162 in the eastern suburbs till 9.30 am.

BMC polls begin: Why Mumbai's civic body election carries high stakes

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, which runs roads, water supply, healthcare and infrastructure, is India's richest civic body and a major political power centre

BMC Elections 2026: Check voting date, time, results and poll schedule

BMC polls 2026: The BMC elections will be held in a single phase and will take place alongside polls to 28 other municipal corporations across Maharashtra

BMC elections: Voter card, 12 other identity proofs valid for polling

Electors in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls will be required to present either a voter photo ID card or any one of the 12 alternative identity documents approved by the State Election Commission to cast their vote, officials said. Polling will be held across 227 civic wards from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm on Thursday and counting of votes will take place on Friday. A total of 1,700 candidates are in the fray, including 878 women and 822 men. As many as 1,03,44,315 persons -- ?55,15,707 men, 48,26,509 women and 1,099 others -- are eligible to vote. Municipal commissioner and district election officer Bhushan Gagrani on Tuesday said that voters must establish their identity at the polling station by presenting a photo identity card. Those without a voter ID may submit any one of the 12 notified documents, which include the passport, Aadhaar card, driving licence, PAN card, government-issued photo identity cards and bank or post office passbooks with ...

From 2017 to 2026: Assets of several BMC poll candidates see steep jump

Several prominent candidates in the upcoming Mumbai civic polls, including former mayor Kishori Pednekar, have declared a sharp rise in assets since 2017, according to affidavits uploaded by the State Election Commission. As many as 1,700 candidates are in the fray for the 227-ward Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections scheduled on January 15. Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate and former city mayor Kishori Pednekar, contesting from Lower Parel (ward 199) in central Mumbai, has declared total assets of Rs 5.26 crore, a 226 per cent increase from Rs 1.61 crore in 2017. Pednekar, who served as Mumbai mayor from 2019 to 2022, has declared immovable and movable assets of Rs 4.69 crore and Rs 57 lakh, respectively. Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) candidate Samadhan Sarvankar, son of former MLA Sada Sarvankar and seeking a second term, has declared assets of Rs 46.59 crore, a steep rise of 394 per cent from Rs 9.43 crore in 2017. The Sena candidate, who has listed his profession as busin

BMC polls: Opposition alleges bias over rejection of nomination papers

The Opposition has accused election officials of showing a partisan attitude during the scrutiny of nomination papers for the upcoming Thane Municipal Corporation elections after the documents of a few candidates were rejected. Rajan Vichare of Shiv Sena (UBT), Avinash Jadhav of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Jitendra Awhad of NCP (SP) addressed the media on Wednesday night, targeting the returning officer in the Wagle Estate area. The Opposition leaders alleged that the returning officer showed bias in rejecting the nomination papers of Sena (UBT), MNS, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) and independent candidates contesting from wards 16, 17 and 18. According to MNS and VBA leaders, the nominations of Shinde Sena candidates Ekta Bhoir and Shilpa Wagh were accepted despite alleged discrepancies. The Wagle Estate area is considered a stronghold of the ruling Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. These officials have become servants of the ruling party and they work

BJP to contest 137 seats, Shinde-led Shiv Sena 90 in Mumbai BMC polls

Ruling allies BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena will contest 137 and 90 seats, respectively, in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls. A seat-sharing pact was revealed by Mumbai BJP president Amit Satam on Monday, following hectic parleys a day before the deadline for filing nomination papers closes on December 30. Both parties will allocate some seats from their respective quotas to alliance partners, Satam added. Candidates of both parties will file their nomination papers on Tuesday. Another constituent of Mahayuti, the NCP, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, is contesting the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls separately. The NCP has so far announced 64 candidates for the BMC polls. Elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the high-stakes Mumbai, will be held on January 15, and votes will be counted the next day. In the BMC elections held in 2017 for 227 seats, the BJP made giant strides in the Shiv Sena citadel of Mumbai, winn

BMC polls: Sena (UBT), MNS locked in deadlock over couple of seats

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Shiv Sena (UBT) are yet to resolve the deadlock over a couple of seats for the BMC polls as both parties enjoy influence in those areas of the city, an MNS functionary said. An MNS leader said the stalemate is over seats in Bhandup, particularly ward No. 114. Bhandup and Vikhroli in the eastern suburbs are the areas where both Uddhav Thackeray's Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray's MNS have a strong presence. The Thackeray cousins on Wednesday announced their decision to forge an alliance ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, but refused to divulge details concerning the seat-sharing agreement. The MNS leader said his party has staked claim over ward 114 for its local leader. From Uddhav Thackeray's party, a former MLA's wife and Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Dina Patil's daughter Rajool Patil are keen to contest from this ward, he said. This ward has a significant Marathi population and both parties are anticipating an easy win. In the

Congress gambit to go solo in BMC polls reshapes Oppn contest in Mumbai

The Congress' decision to contest the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections independently has fragmented the Opposition space in the Mumbai civic battle and turned the January 15 polls into a multi-cornered contest. The party cited the alignment between the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray's MNS as the reason for opting out of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) arrangement for the civic polls. According to political observers, the Congress' move to go solo, focusing on local issues and ideological clarity, reflects strategic recalibration and political vulnerability. It is a bold gambit but one fraught with risk in a political landscape dominated by well-entrenched alliances and resurgent rivals, they said. How the Congress navigates this terrain in Mumbai could have long-lasting implications for its political fortunes in Maharashtra and beyond, they said. Historically, the Congress was a dominant force in Mumbai's civic politics, but the last three deca