Maharashtra Municipal Elections: Voting for 29 Corporations, Including BMC, on Thursday ( 15th Jan 26 )

Mumbai, Jan 2026 : Voting for 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra, including the high-profile Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), will be held on Thursday, with counting scheduled for Friday. Originally, elections were to be conducted for 2,869 seats, but 68 candidates were elected unopposed, reducing the number of contested seats to 2,801. Among the 29 corporations, two are newly formed bodies: Jalna and Ichalkaranji. Other major cities in the fray include Nagpur, Pune, Thane, Nashik, and Navi Mumbai, many of which have been under administrator control since their previous terms ended between 2020 and 2023.

Voting procedures will vary between the BMC and other corporations. In Mumbai, a single-member ward system is followed, meaning each voter will cast one vote for their ward representative. In contrast, the other 28 corporations use a multi-member ward system, with most wards having four seats. The State Election Commission (SEC) has undertaken a massive logistical operation to accommodate 34.8 million eligible voters, ensuring smooth conduct across 39,147 polling stations, equipped with 43,958 control units and 87,916 ballot units. In Mumbai alone, there are 10,111 polling stations with 11,349 control units and 22,698 ballot units.

The SEC has used the Assembly voter list as of July 1, 2025, and to prevent electoral fraud, potential duplicate entries are marked with a double star ()**. Such voters have been verified through door-to-door checks. If they arrive at polling booths without prior verification, they must provide a formal undertaking (indemnity bond) along with a valid ID before voting.

To assist voters, the SEC has launched a mobile app (available on the Google Play Store) that allows citizens to check their name, polling booth, and candidate details using their name or EPIC (voter ID) number. Special arrangements have been made for senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PwD), pregnant women, and mothers with young children, including mandatory ramps and wheelchairs at all polling stations. In areas with high female voter turnout, “pink booths” staffed solely by female officers and police personnel have been set up. To ensure voter confidentiality and prevent disputes, the use of mobile phones inside polling booths is strictly prohibited.

These measures reflect the SEC’s efforts to maintain a free, fair, and accessible election process across Maharashtra’s urban centres, ensuring smooth participation from millions of voters across the state.