BMC elections 2026: Five reasons why BJP and allies swept Mumbai civic polls

2 Roads: Many arterial stretches have been widened and internal roads concreted, resurfaced, and repaired, improving traffic congestion and travel time.

3 Flyover and bridges: Not all, but many key flyovers and rail overbridges have been completed or are being upgraded to ease bottlenecks at several city junctions.

4 Railways: The proliferation of AC locals, big spending, railway station upgrades, provision of facilities and pursuing with the Union government to get various demands approved has happened on the BJP’s watch.

5 Strategy: Fadnavis, the face of the BJP for the municipal corporation polls, strategically planned his rallies, public gatherings, and interviews at popular food joints, which resonated well with citizens. On the last day of campaigning, a video surfaced where he highlighted the differences between Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, pointing out contrasting styles of functioning, approaches to Hindutva, personalities, and alleged corruption. This struck a chord with voters, and the party’s social media team amplified the message widely.  To counter the Marathi narrative promoted by the Thackerays, Fadnavis emphasised that the mayor of Mumbai would come from the Mahayuti and be a Marathi speaker. Tactically, he leveraged his ally Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in Marathi-majority areas, even though the BJP already had a significant Marathi-speaking voter base. This inclusive political strategy helped Fadnavis and the BJP achieve the long-pending goal of securing the Mumbai mayor’s post. In total,  Fadnavis held 77 rallies for all 29 municipal corporations.

BMC Election 2026 Results: Parties and the number of winning candidates