BMC Elections: 52.94% Voter Turnout, Mumbai to Get Mayor After 4 Years

Mumbai, January 16: The recently concluded Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections recorded a voter turnout of 52.94 per cent, according to data released by the State Election Commission on Friday. The high-stakes civic polls, held after a gap of eight years, pave the way for Mumbai to get a new mayor after nearly four years.

The last BMC elections were conducted in 2017, while the tenure of the last elected mayor, Kishori Pednekar, ended in March 2022. Since then, India’s financial capital has been without an elected civic leadership.

Ward-wise Turnout Highlights

According to official figures, Ward 114 recorded the highest voter turnout at 65.53 per cent, while Ward 227 saw the lowest turnout at 20.88 per cent.

Out of 1,03,44,315 registered voters, a total of 54,76,043 citizens exercised their franchise across Mumbai’s 227 wards. Among them:

29,23,433 men
25,52,359 women
251 transgender voters

While male voters outnumbered female voters by around 6.9 lakh, the percentage turnout of women (52.8%) was slightly higher than men (52.2%), reflecting strong female participation.

Exit Polls Predict BJP–Shiv Sena Edge

Exit polls have projected an advantage for the Bharatiya Janata Party–Shiv Sena alliance, while the Shiv Sena (UBT)–MNS alliance is expected to finish second.

According to Axis My India:

BJP–Shiv Sena alliance: 131–151 seats
Shiv Sena (UBT)–MNS–NCP (SP): 58–68 seats
Congress-led alliance: 12–16 seats
Others: 6–12 seats

A party or alliance requires 114 seats for a simple majority in the 227-member BMC.

Vote-share projections by Axis My India estimate 42% vote share for the Mahayuti alliance (BJP 28%, Shiv Sena 14%), while Shiv Sena (UBT) is projected at 24%, MNS at 7%, and NCP (SP) at 1%.

Tight Contest Expected

Another exit poll by DV Research predicted:

BJP–Shiv Sena: 107–122 seats
Thackeray brothers’ alliance: 68–83 seats
Congress-led alliance: 18–25 seats
Others: 8–15 seats

Meanwhile, the Janmat exit poll projected 138 seats for BJP–Shiv Sena, with a margin of error of ±5 seats.

Political Significance of the BMC Polls

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, considered India’s richest municipal body, has long been a stronghold of the undivided Shiv Sena, which won 84 seats in the 2007 polls, while the BJP secured 82 seats. The political landscape changed dramatically after the Shiv Sena split in 2022, led by Eknath Shinde.

The BJP contested the elections in alliance with the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, with the polls also being seen as a referendum on Devendra Fadnavis’ development agenda. On the other hand, cousins Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray joined hands, campaigning on the plank of Marathi identity.

Counting Today

Voting took place across 227 wards, with nearly 1,700 candidates in the fray. The counting of votes will begin today at 10:00 am at 23 designated counting centres across Mumbai, determining who will lead the civic body and who will become Mumbai’s next mayor after four years.