The State Election Commission (SEC) has confirmed that polling for 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the Mumbai civic body, will be held in a single phase on January 15, 2026. Voting will take place in all 227 wards of Greater Mumbai.
The counting is scheduled for the next day.
The announcement follows repeated directions from the court to carry out the long-awaited local body elections in the state.
BMC Elections 2026 Schedule and Key Dates
The formal electoral process began in December.
The SEC issued the notification on December 15, 2025, setting the schedule for nominations, withdrawals, polls and counting.
The key dates are as follows:
January 15, 2026: Election Day.
January 16, 2026: Counting and results.
All voting will take place on January 15 between 7:30 am and 5:30 pm at designated polling stations in Mumbai.
The SEC declared this holiday as a public holiday in municipal areas to enable voters to participate.
As per figures cited by PTI, over 1.03 crore voters are eligible to vote in the BMC elections.
Officials said standard voter identification rules would apply and voting would be conducted according to the model code of conduct, which will remain in force until results are declared.
Security arrangements and personnel are coordinated by the Mumbai municipal administration in consultation with the state election machinery.
Why Mumbai Civic Elections 2026 Matters
The BMC is India’s richest municipal body and controls civic services for a population of more than 12 million. The last election for a full term of the BMC was held in 2017. Since then, the corporation has been run by directors after the term of office of the elected body expired.
Legal challenges, redistricting and reservation changes contributed to the delay.
The ballot boxes and electronic files will be moved to the counting centers overnight.
Results are expected on January 16, subject to completion of counting and verification.
Source | domain www.cnbctv18.com
