Maharashtra: BMC election dates announced, voting on 15 January; See full schedule

Candidates can file their nominations from December 23rd to 30th. Verification will be completed by December 31st. Candidates have until January 2nd to withdraw their nominations. The final list of candidates will be released on January 3rd, and election symbols will be allocated to them.

Post Published By: Sujata Biswal

Updated : 15 December 2025, 5:46 PM IST

BMC elections set for 15 January

Mumbai: The official dates for the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections have been announced by the State Election Commission. Along with the BMC elections, voting will also be held in 29 other municipal corporations on January 15th. The counting of votes will take place the very next day, January 16th, 2026, and the results will determine who will hold power.

Candidates can file their nominations from December 23rd to 30th. Verification will be completed by December 31st. Candidates have until January 2nd to withdraw their nominations. The final list of candidates will be released on January 3rd, and election symbols will be allocated to them.

The BMC election is considered a semi-final in Maharashtra politics. Control over the country's richest municipal corporation has always been a fiercely contested battle among political parties. This time too, political parties have intensified their preparations for the elections. With the announcement of the nomination dates, potential candidates have begun strategizing and forming alliances.

Besides the BMC, the 29 other municipal corporations where elections will be held include several major urban bodies in the state. This makes it clear that these elections will not be limited to the local level but will also impact the upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

The term of 27 municipal corporations in the state has already ended. Additionally, Jalna and Ichalkaranji have been included as new municipal corporations, where elections will be held for the first time.

The voter list of July 1, 2025, will be used as the basis for all these municipal corporation elections. This list has been received from the Central Election Commission, therefore, the State Election Commission will not have the authority to remove any voter's name from it. Key election statistics:

• Total voters: 34.8 million
• Total polling stations: 39,147
• Polling stations in Mumbai: 10,111
• Control units: 11,349
• Ballot units: Approximately 22,000

Political analysts believe that the results of the BMC elections will play a crucial role in shaping the direction of state politics in the coming years.