BMC election 2026 results: BJP dominates suburbs, Sena (UBT) holds island city

The 2026 BMC polls saw fierce contests between BJP and Sena (UBT) in Mumbai’s suburbs and a direct fight between the two Shiv Senas across key wards. While BJP swept suburban battles and Mahayuti secured a majority, Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena retained its island city stronghold

BMC elections 2026 results: BJP sweeps key suburban wards as Sena rivals clash

Uddhav Thackeray and Devendra Fadnavis

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BMC elections 2026 results: BJP sweeps key suburban wards as Sena rivals clash

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At least five key wards in North Mumbai’s suburbs saw direct contests between BJP and Shiv Sena (UBT) during the 2026 BMC polls, while at least nine key wards in North and Central Mumbai saw battles between the two Shiv Senas, one led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and the other by Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray.

While the BJP-Sena combo won seats in all five wards where it faced off against the Sena (UBT), Shinde Sena did not manage to break into the Thackeray Bastion in South Mumbai. Out of the nine wards where the two Senas faced each other, Shinde’s party won four seats in the suburbs, and UBT retained seats in their stronghold in Worli and Prabhadevi.

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

The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance secured a majority in the 227-member body, ending the long-standing dominance of the Thackeray-led Sena. While BJP secured 89 seats, Shinde secured 29, Sena (UBT) secured 65, MNS secured six seats, and Congress secured 24 seats.

According to experts, BJP strategically won seats with landslide numbers in areas dominated by North Indian demographics, including the Gujarati- and Marwari-speaking communities. A senior BJP leader told Sunday mid-day, “The issue of the Marathi identity, popularised by the Thackerays, played a big role in determining the mandate in South and South Central Mumbai. This area is dominated by a Marathi-speaking demographic and has always been Sena’s stronghold. In the suburbs, the demographic there has voted by seeing the good work of our CM and PM.”

The leader pointed out that the Island City of Mumbai (from Colaba to Mahim and to Mayunga-Sion) comprises 57 electoral wards. BJP has won around 10 seats in this area. Congress won a few seats, while the rest are with Sena (UBT).

Interestingly, the candidates who won with the highest vote margins all belong to BJP, and are in the suburbs. According to political analyst Sanjay Patil, “There are pockets in North Mumbai where Sena held dominance. After the party split, leaders who cultivated their stronghold in the area moved to the Shinde Sena. Technically, the party has retained its voter base in the area.”