Maharashtra Civic Polls Underway, Mumbai Records 6.98% Turnout by 9.30 am

Voting began early Thursday across Maharashtra for elections to 29 municipal corporations, marking one of the largest rounds of civic polling in recent years. With Mumbai at the centre of political attention, the elections are being closely watched as major parties battle for control of the influential and cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

Polling commenced at 7.30 am under heightened security arrangements and will continue until 5.30 pm. Across the state, 3.48 crore voters are eligible to choose from 15,931 candidates contesting 2,869 seats spread across 893 wards. Officials have said elaborate arrangements were made to ensure smooth voting, with police deployment and logistical preparations scaled up in sensitive urban centres.

Mumbai’s BMC elections are being held after a prolonged delay. The civic body has gone to the polls nearly nine years after the last election, following a four-year deferment. With an annual budget exceeding Rs 74,400 crore, the BMC is considered India’s richest municipal corporation, making the contest politically and administratively significant. A total of around 1,700 candidates are contesting the 227 BMC seats, while more than 25,000 police personnel have been deployed across the city to maintain law and order.

According to official data, voter turnout in Mumbai stood at 6.98 per cent as of 9.30 am. Election officials expect participation to increase steadily through the day as working voters and senior citizens arrive at polling booths. Counting of votes across Maharashtra is scheduled for January 16.

The elections are taking place after the expiry of municipal corporation terms between 2020 and 2023, leaving several civic bodies under administrative control for years. Of the 29 corporations voting today, nine fall within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, the country’s most densely urbanised belt.

Politically, the polls have sharpened fault lines across parties and alliances. In Mumbai, the BJP-led Mahayuti faces a challenge from the reunited Thackeray cousins — Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray — who have come together after two decades in an attempt to consolidate Marathi votes. Elsewhere, rival factions of the Nationalist Congress Party have stitched up local alliances in civic bodies such as Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.

The Congress, seeking to regain lost ground in Maharashtra’s urban politics, has chosen to contest independently in Mumbai. In the city, it has allied with Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and the Rashtriya Samaj Paksh, while fielding candidates across several wards statewide.

Polling is underway in major urban centres including Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nagpur, Nashik, Kolhapur, Solapur, Amravati, Akola, Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), Nanded-Waghala, Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad, Jalgaon, Dhule, Latur, Malegaon, Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar, Panvel, Ulhasnagar, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Chandrapur, Parbhani, Ichalkaranji and Ahilyanagar.

Voters from across age groups were seen arriving early at polling booths. Several senior citizens exercised their franchise in Mumbai, highlighting civic engagement despite concerns over turnout. Actor Akshay Kumar, after casting his vote, urged citizens to step out and participate actively, calling the BMC polls crucial for the city’s future.

Election officials confirmed that counting centres have been designated for all 227 BMC wards, each equipped with secure strong rooms for electronic voting machines and election materials. Authorities said transparency and security protocols are in place to ensure a smooth counting process.

As polling continues through the day, the outcome of these civic elections is expected to significantly influence Maharashtra’s political landscape ahead of future state and national contests.