According to State Election Commission officials, voting percentage recorded till 3.30pm on Thursday was a paltry 41 per cent
Citizens queue up to cast their vote at the Janabai and Madhavrao Rokade Municipal School in Masjid Bunder on January 15. PIC/SAYYED SAMEER ABEDI
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election witnessed a turnout of 41 per cent till 3.30 pm on Thursday. According to State Election Commission (SEC) officials, the final numbers, recorded by 5.30 pm, when voting ended, were unlikely to be released before press time.
Earlier, provisional voting percentages were shared at the end of polling day, with revised and accurate figures released by the election department the following day. However, without a clear explanation for these revisions, many began questioning the changes and making baseless allegations. “To avoid this confusion, it has been decided to release the voting percentage only once the final tally is completed,” said an SEC official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Counting of votes will be held today, Friday, January 16. The last civic elections were held in February 2017, and Mumbai witnessed a little over 55 per cent voter turnout. In 2026, many are expecting a similar or slightly higher poll percentage.
On the last day of the election campaign for the civic polls, when Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was asked about his biggest fear in the BMC polls, the CM replied that he didn’t see any fear, but certainly had one concern. “I see voter turnout as the only concern in Mumbai,” Fadnavis said, adding that any rise in voting percentage would be good for the Mahayuti.
Mumbai historically has recorded low turnouts in municipal elections. The figure stood around 50 per cent in 2002, dipped marginally to 49 per cent in 2007 and declined further to about 45 per cent in 2012, reflecting voter apathy. The trend reversed in 2017 amid high-stakes political contests following the Shiv Sena-BJP split.
For nearly two decades before 2017, the Shiv Sena and BJP jointly controlled the BMC, but after parting ways that year, the Shiv Sena emerged as the single-largest party with 84 seats, two more than the BJP’s tally. The council’s term ended in 2022, placing the civic body under administrative rule. Since then, the political landscape has shifted sharply, with the Sena splitting after Eknath Shinde’s rebellion, making the current BMC election a do-or-die battle for cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray and a key opportunity for the BJP and the Shinde Sena to wrest control of Mumbai’s civic body.
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