BMC Election 2026: BJP-Shinde Alliance Wins, Thackeray Era Ends in Mumbai
The historic results of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections have marked the beginning of a new era in Maharashtra politics. The Thackeray family's 'Matoshree' dominance over Mumbai for three decades has finally come to an end.
Declared on 16 January, the BJP-Shinde alliance (Mahayuti) secured a landslide victory, dismantling the Thackeray family's 'last stronghold.' For the first time, the country’s richest municipal corporation will have a BJP mayor. Out of 28 other municipal corporations in Maharashtra, BJP also emerged as the winner in the majority.
BJP-Shinde Alliance Secures Overwhelming Victory in BMC
With a total of 227 seats in the BMC, the majority mark was 114. BJP and Shiv Sena led by Deputy CM Eknath Shinde won a combined total of 127 seats, including 97 for BJP and 30 for Shinde's Shiv Sena. Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) and his cousin Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) together won 73 seats, with 64 for UBT and nine for MNS.
Despite joining forces after 20 years, the Thackeray duo could not regain control of the BMC. Congress, contesting separately from the MahaVikas Aghadi, was sandwiched between the two major alliances and could not gain traction. Prakash Ambedkar’s party, allied with Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, could not win beyond 15 seats. AIMIM, despite Muslim voter inclination towards Shiv Sena (UBT), won six seats.
Following the historic victory, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis wrote on his official account that BJP has once again made history by winning the 2025–26 municipal elections. The win was credited to the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, BJP National President JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah, National Executive President Nitin Nabin, and Maharashtra BJP President Ravindra Chavan.
Factors Behind BJP’s Victory
The Thackeray strongholds of Dadar, Parel, and Lalbaug were split this time due to the division of the Marathi vote. The Shinde faction helped BJP gain ground in traditionally UBT-dominated areas like Worli and Girgaon. The BMC's annual budget of over ₹74,000 crore, larger than several states' budgets, was also a key factor, with voters favoring BJP’s 'corruption-free BMC' and 'triple engine government' slogans.
Gujarati, North Indian, and middle-class Marathi voters predominantly supported BJP. The split in Shiv Sena proved devastating for Uddhav Thackeray. Projects like Coastal Road and Mumbai Metro were also credited to the BJP-Shinde government, strengthening its position.
Speculation is ongoing within BJP regarding the next mayor, likely to be an experienced Marathi face to counter allegations of being 'anti-Marathi.' Meanwhile, Uddhav Thackeray’s party faces a tougher political road ahead, while BJP consolidates its dominance over Mumbai and Maharashtra politics.