Maharashtra Civic Body Polls 2026: As voting is underway for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Chief Mohan Bhagwat and celebrities such as Akshay Kumar, Twinkle Khanna, John Abraham and Sachin Tendulkar have urged Mumbaikars to vote so their vote gets counted.
Bhagwat commented that voting is required to elect the right government in a democratic setup. The RSS Chief it is the duty of every citizen to exercise his or her right to vote. The Chief of RSS cast his vote at the Bhauji Daptari English Medium School in Nagpur.
He commented that the Election Commission of India (ECI) continues to make repeated efforts so more and more people come out to vote for their chosen candidates. Bhagwat said it is therefore the responsibility of every eligible citizen to exercise their voting right.
BMC Polling Details
Polling for the BMC elections started at 7:30 am and would end at 5:30 pm today. Polling would be held for 2,801 seats as 68 candidates have already been elected unopposed. The fate of 15,931 candidates would be decided by 3.48 crore voters of the state. The counting of BMC votes would happen on January 16.
Past Glory For Undivided Shiv Sena And BJP
Previously, the BMC was earlier dominated by the undivided Shiv Sena that had ruled the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation in an alliance with the Bhartiya Janata Party. This election would test whether the legacy of Thackeray would continue to influence the politics of Mumbai after the party split.
This time, cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray reunited in a significant pre-poll development with a goal to consolidate the base of Marathi voters ahead of the elections. However, their hate speeches and goonda gardi tactics against people from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and South India may become a self-goal. On the other hand, BJP is riding high on its series of development initiatives in the state.
