HomeIndia NewsExit polls predict BJP–Shinde alliance sweep in Mumbai BMC elections after nine years
Mumbai’s BMC elections see Mahayuti alliance led by BJP and Eknath Shinde set for a clear win, outpacing the Thackeray cousins’ alliance, as exit polls predict a decisive majority.
By CNBCTV18.com January 15, 2026, 9:58:43 PM IST (Published)
Mumbai appears set for a decisive victory for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, the first civic polls in the city after a gap of nine years. Multiple exit polls indicate that the alliance, comprising the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, is poised to secure a clear majority, outpacing the reunited Thackeray cousins, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), despite their joint Marathi Manoos campaign.
According to the Axis My India exit poll, the Mahayuti is projected to win between 131 and 151 seats in the 227-member civic body, while the Shiv Sena (UBT)–MNS alliance is expected to secure 58–68 seats. The Congress is forecast to win 12–16 seats. The JVC exit poll has predicted 138 seats for the Mahayuti, 59 for the Thackeray alliance and 24 for the Congress. Meanwhile, the Sakal exit poll has projected a narrower win, giving the Mahayuti 119 seats, the UBT-led alliance 75 seats and around 20 seats to the Congress.
Around 1,700 candidates contested the BMC elections, which were held after a four-year delay. Voting took place from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm on Thursday, January 15, with the counting of postal ballots and Electronic Voting Machines scheduled for January 16. These were the first BMC polls since the 2022 split in the Shiv Sena, when Eknath Shinde broke away with a majority of the party’s MLAs and allied with the BJP. The undivided Shiv Sena had controlled the civic body for 25 years, from 1997 to 2022.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, India’s richest municipal body, manages an annual budget of over ₹74,400 crore, making control of the civic body a high-stakes political prize. Exit poll trends suggest strong voter support for the Mahayuti, pointing towards continuity in administration under the BJP–Shinde alliance.
Voting for 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra concluded at 5.30 pm on Thursday. According to PTI, State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare said the final voter turnout was likely in the 46–50% range, higher than in the 2017 civic polls, and expressed satisfaction with public participation.
As of 3.30 pm, voter turnout in the BMC area stood at around 41%, with the final turnout estimated at close to 50%, the State Election Commission said.
