Page 3 - Mumbai

Counting of votes for high-stakes civic polls begins; all eyes on Mumbai

Counting of votes polled in elections to 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra began on Friday morning with the spotlight on Mumbai, where the BJP-led Mahayuti bloc is locked in a prestige battle with the reunited Thackeray cousins for control of India's richest civic body. Polling for 2,869 seats spread across 893 wards in these municipal corporations, including 227 in Mumbai, took place on Thursday. As many as 15,931 candidates are in the fray in the 29 civic corporations, which had 3.48 crore eligible voters. Around 50 per cent polling was recorded in the 29 municipal corporations, State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare said after the end of voting. 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, officials said on Friday. In the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), whose annual budget is over Rs 74, 400 crore, 1,700 candidates are vying for 227 seats in elections being held after a

Exit polls forecast strong BJP-Shiv Sena win in BMC elections

All exit polls predicted a clear sweep for the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, which took place on Thursday, and a defeat of the Shiv Sena (UBT)-Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. According to My Axis India exit polls, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance is poised to win 131-151 seats and garner 42 per cent of vote share in the country's commercial capital. The Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS-NCP (SP) alliance of Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray is expected to win 58-68 seats and get a vote share of 32 per cent. The Congress-Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and Rashtriya Samaj Paksha alliance is expected to win 12-16 seats with a vote per cent of 13 per cent. Others, which comprise independents and small players like NCP, AIMIM, and the left parties, are likely to win 6-12 seats, it said. There are 227 wards in Mumbai. The Saam TV exit polls have predicted that the BJP is likely to win 84 seats, while its alliance partner Shiv Sena could bag 35 seats in Mumbai. Shiv Sena ...

BMC polls: 1,700 candidates in race for 227 seats as Mumbai votes today

As many as 1,700 candidates will vie for 227 seats in the key elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) with the civic body saying on Wednesday all arrangements have been made for peaceful and orderly polling on Thursday. In a press release, the civic body said preparations for polling were completed on Wednesday with the distribution of EVMs and other election materials carried out at 23 divisional centres in the metropolis. Voting will start at 7.30 am and end at 5.30 pm, while counting of votes will be conducted at 23 designated centres across Mumbai under the supervision of the respective Returning Officers (ROs) on January 16. As per the release, the corporation has finalised counting centres for all 227 wards. Each centre has been equipped with secure strong rooms for custody of election materials, including EVMs, and arrangements have been made to ensure transparency during the counting process. Civic officials said polling staff reported in large numbers ..

Crest Ventures forms JV for Mumbai realty project with ₹1,850 cr revenue

Mumbai-based Crest Ventures Ltd, which is into financial services and property businesses, has partnered with Vensco Projects Ltd to develop a real estate project in Mumbai with an estimated revenue of Rs 1,850 crore. The company's subsidiary, Crest Urban Living, has entered into a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) with Vensco Projects LLP for the development of a premium mixed-use project in Chembur, Mumbai. The project is spread across 11,000 square metre. In a statement on Saturday, Crest Ventures said the company will develop a luxury mixed-use residential project on this land parcel. The project will have an estimated sales value or Gross Development Value (GDV) of about Rs 1,850 crore, it added. The company did not disclose the investment to develop this project. The 2.5-acre project will have a total saleable area of nearly 5 Lakh square feet. Vijay Choraria, Managing Director, Crest Ventures, said, "Our upcoming project on Chembur's Golf Course Road represents a new chap

Motherson acquires office space in Mumbai's BKC for ₹100 crore

Samvardhana Motherson has bought office space worth about ₹100 crore in Mumbai's BKC, underlining strong corporate demand amid a record-breaking year for the office real estate market

Mumbai court drops case against Navneet Rana over caste certificate issue

A Mumbai court on Wednesday discharged BJP leader and former Member of Parliament (MP) Navneet Rana in a fake caste certificate case. Her discharge plea was allowed by Judicial Magistrate First Class (Mazgaon court) A A Kulkarni. A reasoned order was not available yet. However, the case against her father Harbhajansingh Kundless will continue as the court adjourned the matter to February 16 for framing of charges against him. Rana, who claims to belong to a Scheduled Caste, is a former Independent Lok Sabha MP from Amravati (2019-24) in eastern Maharashtra. She later joined the BJP. As per a complaint lodged at the Mulund police station in Mumbai, Rana and her father allegedly forged documents to obtain a caste certificate for her as the Amravati Lok Sabha seat, from where she contested, is reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates. The Bombay High Court in 2021 cancelled the caste certificate issued to Rana, saying it was obtained fraudulently using fabricated documents. However,

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

BMC polls: Several candidates' nomination forms rejected after scrutiny

Scrutiny of nomination papers for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections has led to the rejection of several candidates across parties due to incomplete documents, errors in forms and failure to submit mandatory certificates, election officials have said. A total of 2,516 nomination papers were filed till December 30, the final day. As the forms were examined on Wednesday, those of candidates from the Congress, BJP, AAP, NCP (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and several independents were rejected. As most parties finalised seat-sharing arrangements and issued A' and B' forms (key documents to file nominations) only in the last two to three days to prevent rebellion, a rush of nominations was witnessed on December 29 and 30. Officials said delays in finalising candidatures, last-minute documentation, non-submission of caste validity certificates and incomplete details were among the reasons behind the rejections. Officials said candidates whose nominations were rejecte

At 150k, Mumbai logs highest property registrations in 14 yrs in 2025

Registrations increased by 6 per cent Y-o-Y, while stamp duty revenue rose by 11 per cent Y-o-Y

Mumbai Metro Line-3 to run overnight on January 1 for New Year: MMRC

This initiative aims to ensure uninterrupted connectivity during the festive period, allowing citizens to enjoy celebrations without travel concerns

Four killed, 9 injured as BEST bus hits pedestrians in Mumbai's Bhandup

Four people, including three women, died and nine others were injured after a reversing bus of Mumbai's civic-run transport undertaking BEST knocked down pedestrians on Monday night, a police official said. According to the official, the incident took place at around 10pm at busy Station Road in suburban Bhandup (West) when the bus crashed into pedestrians while reversing. He said four people, including three women, died, while nine others were injured in the accident. The injured were admitted to a nearby hospital, said the police official. The bus driver was detained and process was underway to register an FIR against him, he stated. Even an hour after the tragedy, public relations department of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) did not confirm the accident. BEST public relations officer Sucheta Utale or its general manager Sonia Sethi were not available for comment. However, a senior civic official, who was not authorised to speak to the media, told PTI ..

Mumbai civic polls: Shiv Sena-BJP talks near final; Congress-VBA join hands

With only two days left before the nominations process for the civic polls in Maharashtra closes, the ruling and opposition camps are rushing against time to form alliances and finalise seat-sharing agreements amid the shifting political dynamics. In a crucial development, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday announced an alliance between his NCP, a constituent of the ruling Mahayuti combine, and the NCP (SP), led by his uncle Sharad Pawar, for the Pimpri-Chinchwad civic polls, saying the parivar (family) has come together. "For the sake of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections, the clock' and the tutari' have united. The parivar has come together, he said. Pawar urged party workers to work hard and refrain from making any controversial comments during rallies. "We are the ones who work for development. We will edge out those who tried to put this municipal corporation in debt," he said. Meanwhile, talks between the two parties are underway for a tie-up for th

Why Air India will stop non-stop Bengaluru, Mumbai-San Francisco flights

Explaining the decision, Air India said the schedule changes are designed to manage the financial impact of ongoing airspace curbs

Watch: Navi Mumbai International Airport begins commercial operations

Navi Mumbai International Airport commenced its airside operations today with the arrival of its first commercial flight. The aircraft was accorded a ceremonial water cannon salute on arrival.

Civic polls: Urban growth, strained services key voter issues in Mumbai

Nine of the 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra going to polls on January 15 are from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), where urban challenges, centred on pollution, housing, water, sanitation and public transport, are expected to influence voter behaviour. Amid identity politics over caste, language, religion and the Marathi Manoos' narrative, candidates and political parties are recalibrating their platforms to address core civic issues. In the recent session of the state legislature, the state government announced an amnesty scheme to regularise over 20,000 buildings in MMR that lack occupancy certificates. A new regulatory framework has been announced to redevelop Mumbai's pagdi' buildings (tenancy rental model where the tenant is a part-owner of a house). In the nine civic corporations of Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Vasai-Virar, Bhiwandi, Mira-Bhayandar, Ulhasnagar and Panvel, local socio-economic and infrastructure issues are taking centre stage in ..

Adani-promoted Navi Mumbai airport kicks off commercial flight operations

The Navi Mumbai airport is expected to ease pressure on the existing Mumbai airport and increase air travel capacity in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region

American banking giant JP Morgan to set up Asia's largest GCC in India

US banker's move puts the country on top of the global GCC map

Keystone Realtors to launch ₹3,000 crore ultra-luxury Mumbai project: CMD

Realty firm Keystone Realtors plans to launch a super luxury residential project in Mumbai next month with a revenue potential of about Rs 3,000 crore, a top company official said. Mumbai-based Keystone Realtors, which sells properties under Rustomjee brand, is one of the leading real estate developers in the country. In an interview with PTI, Keystone Realtors Chairman and Managing Director Boman Irani said the company is very bullish on housing demand and expressed confidence of easily achieving the sales bookings target of Rs 4,000 crore this fiscal year. The company has already sold properties worth Rs 1,839 crore in the first half of 2025-26, up 40 per cent annually. About new launches, Irani said the company is targeting to launch a super luxury residential project at Bandstand, Bandra, in Mumbai next month. "The gross development value (GDV) of this upcoming project will be around Rs 3,000 crore," he said. Irani said the company had given an annual guidance of launching Rs

Japan's Sumitomo Realty puts India bet on Mumbai and serviced apartments

Sumitomo has previously called Mumbai its 'second growth engine' after Tokyo, where it manages 240 buildings

BMS partners with Accenture to set up AI-driven content hub in Mumbai

Biopharmaceutical firm Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) and IT services company Accenture on Wednesday announced the opening of a new AI-powered content hub, Mosaic, in Mumbai. The generative AI-enabled facility is designed to accelerate BMS's global commercialisation strategy through enhanced digital capabilities, enabling the rapid creation of hyper-personalised, patient-centric content tailored for healthcare professionals, according to a joint statement. The launch of Mosaic is a key component of BMS's ongoing USD 130 million strategic investment aimed at advancing its portfolio of AI initiatives and AI-enabled marketing capabilities. Mosaic will utilise enhanced digital capabilities, including generative AI, to identify physicians' needs in real-time, allowing BMS to quickly and effectively develop targeted communications. To date, the Mosaic content hub has been successfully piloted across three US brands (Reblozyl, Camzyos, and Cobenfy) with plans to onboard additional brands and