08 January,2026 06:00 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Officials stress transparent, error-free counting process during the meeting on Thursday. PIC/ BMC ON X
The final electoral roll for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Election 2026, including photographs, has been prepared, and polling stations have been finalised, officials said on Thursday. Changes at certain polling locations have also been made, and Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr Ashwini Joshi directed officials to immediately inform political parties and candidates.
The BMC Election 2026 will be held on January 15, with the vote counting scheduled for the next day.
Ahead of the polls, a coordination meeting of municipal deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners, and 23 Election Decision Officers was held at the BMC headquarters, chaired by Dr Joshi.
Emphasising transparency, Dr Joshi instructed that the vote-counting process must be conducted in a fair, fearless, and lawful manner.
"All legal provisions must be strictly followed during counting, and special care must be taken to ensure that no errors occur, whether intentional or unintentional," she said, adding that election decision officers are responsible for ensuring the process remains reliable and transparent.
The meeting covered key topics, including publication of candidates' affidavits on the Maharashtra State Election Commission and BMC websites, appointment of candidate representatives, verification and commissioning of electronic voting machines (EVMs), counting proposals and procedures, meetings with candidates and political parties, and the appointment of counting staff.
The meeting was attended by Special Officer (Elections) Vijay Balamwar, Joint Commissioner (Assessment and Collection) Vishwas Shankhwar, Deputy Commissioner (General Administration) Kishor Gandhi, Assistant Commissioner (Assessment and Collection) Gajanan Bellale, divisional deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners from various departments, and all 23 election decision officers.
Several prominent candidates in the upcoming BMC Election 2026, 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, reported PTI.
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, reported PTI.
The Sena candidate, who has listed his profession as business, has immovable assets of Rs 40.59 crore, along with substantial movable assets, as per the affidavit.
Former MLA Yamini Jadhav (Shiv Sena candidate from Mazagaon area ward 209), wife of former corporator and ex-chairman of BMC's standing committee, Yashwant Jadhav, has Rs 14.57 crore of assets, including immovable properties of Rs 11.28 crore and movable properties of Rs 3.28 crore, reported PTI.
In 2024, when she contested the Maharashtra assembly elections, she had declared total assets of Rs 10.10 crore, along with loans of Rs 52 lakh from financial institutions.
Gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawali's daughter, Geeta Gawali, who is contesting from the Byculla-Agripada area (ward 212) and seeking another term, has declared assets of Rs 7.26 crore, including Rs 4.70 crore in immovable properties, compared to Rs 3.38 crore during the 2019 assembly polls, reported PTI.
Her younger sister, Yogita Gawali (ward 207), who is contesting civic elections for the first time from the Chinchpokli-Byculla area (ward 207), has declared assets of Rs 3.65 crore, including Rs 1.19 crore in movable assets.
Neil Somaiya (35), former corporator and son of BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, has declared total assets worth Rs 9.89 crore, a 400 per cent rise against Rs 1.99 crore in 2017. His assets include Rs 5.72 crore and Rs 4.16 crore in movable and immovable properties, respectively, as per the affidavit.
Prabhakar Shinde, another prominent BJP leader in the BMC, has assets of Rs 17.63 crore, compared to Rs 11.9 crore in 2017 (48 per cent rise).
Sachin Padwal's wealth jumps over 700 per cent
Former Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Sachin Padwal, contesting from the Sewri area (ward 206) and seeking a second term, has declared assets worth Rs 5.4 crore, up from Rs 65.06 lakh nine years ago, a rise of over 700 per cent. He has immovable properties of Rs. 3.54 crore in immovable properties, reported PTI.
Tejasvee Ghosalkar, who recently joined the BJP after quitting Shiv Sena (UBT) and is contesting from ward 2 in the Dahisar area, has declared assets of Rs 5.15 crore, as against Rs 25.82 lakh in 2017.
Congress candidate from ward 1 in Dahisar, Sheetal Mhatre, has shown total assets of Rs 4.27 crore, compared to Rs 17.29 lakh in the last civic polls. She has declared immovable and movable assets of Rs 1.22 crore and Rs 3.05 crore, respectively.
The last date for filing the nomination papers was December 30. While the affidavits of several candidates contesting the January 15 civic polls have been uploaded on the BMC's website, those of some mominees were not published till late Wednesday night.
The SEC has also uploaded the documents of those who have either withdrawn from the poll race or whose nomination has been rejected during the scrutiny process.
This includes the affidavit of former deputy mayor and businessman Babubhai Bhavanji, who declared total assets of Rs 31.44 crore, up from Rs 8.23 lakh in 2017, as he had sought to contest the election from ward 192.
