New Delhi: Stage is all set for Maharashtra civic polls to be held on January 15, Thursday. Tuesday was the last day for campaigning for the 29 municipal
corporation across the state. The local body elections are being carried out after a nearly four-year gap since the end of the previous term.
The spotlight is on Mumbai, where polling will be held to elect a new Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)
— the country’s richest civic body with a budget exceeding Rs 74,000 crore for the 2025–26 financial year.When will voting start and end?
The voting for Maharashtra’s 2,869 municipal corporation seats across 893 wards will begin at 7:30 am and end at 5:30 pm. Some 34.8 million eligible voters will decide the fate of 15,931 candidates statewide, including 1,700 in Mumbai and 1,166 in Pune. Vote counting will start at 10:00 am on Friday, January 16, with results expected to be announced by the end of the day.
Is it a public holiday on Thursday?
Maharashtra Election Commission has announced a public holiday on January 15 across areas where people will cast their votes. This has been done to ensure maximum participation of the electorates and seamless conduct of the civic elections. The holiday will apply to regions under 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including Mumbai, PTI reported.
How many male and female voters are there?
The nomination period for prospective candidates started from December 23 to December 30, 2025, with January 2, 2026, as the final date to withdraw candidacy. The final list of contestants was released on January 3.
The voter breakdown includes 55,16,707 male voters, 48,26,509 female voters and 1,099 voters registered in the ‘Other’ category, PTI reported. As many as 114 of the 227 wards have been reserved for women candidates. This reservation includes seats allocated to women belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backwards Class of Citizens.
Which parties are locked in fierce fight?
Ahead of the polling, bitter political clashes and fierce inter-party sparring has taken place. Mumbai is set for a fiercely fought BMC battle, with a three-way contest to be fought among the BJP–Shiv Sena combine, the Shiv Sena (UBT)–MNS alliance, and the Congress–VBA front.
For more than 20 years, the undivided Shiv Sena ruled the BMC and retained control over the wealthiest civic body for 26 straight years. In 2017, the most recent BMC polls, witnessed a direct fight between the then-undivided Shiv Sena and the BJP. In these municipal elections, the Shiv Sena narrowly won over the BJP, securing 84 seats compared to the BJP’s 82.
The BMC has long been crucial for the Thackeray family. After an almost two-decade estrangement, cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray have come together for the key elections. Ahead of the civic polls, there were also some significant political realignments. In western Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar has struck a pact with his uncle Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party for the civic bodies such as Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Parbhani — these are traditional NCP bastions.
Fissures between two top Mahayuti leaders also emerged in the run-up to the elections, when Ajit Pawar and CM Devendra Fadnavis got locked in a verbal duel over governance. Both took potshots at each other.
What will remain open and what will stay shut?
The State Election Commission said January 15 will be a public holiday for government offices, semi-government offices, corporations and boards, public sector undertakings, banks and central government offices located within the BMC limits.
Most government-and civic-run schools and colleges in Mumbai are likely to remain shut because of the public holiday. Many private institutions are also expected to suspend classes, particularly where their premises are being used as polling stations.
Government and semi-government offices within BMC limits will stay closed. Banks and public sector offices will also remain closed. Private offices may take a decision based on internal policies, though many are likely to shut operations for the day.
Emergency and essential services will function as usual. Hospitals, ambulances, fire brigades and police services will remain operational throughout the day.
BEST buses, local trains and other public transport services in Mumbai are likely to operate normally.
Special care will be taken to assist vulnerable voters and priority will be given to senior citizens, persons with disabilities, pregnant women and lone parents with children.
Which other civic bodies are going to polls?
Apart from Mumbai, the other important municipal corporations going to polls are Nagpur, Solapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), Vasai-Virar, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli, Kolhapur, Nashik, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune, Ulhasnagar, Amravati, Akola, Thane, Parbhani, Nanded-Waghala, Panvel, Mira-Bhayandar, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad, Chandrapur, Jalgaon, Ahilyanagar, Dhule, Jalna, Ichalkaranji Latur and Malegaon.
