Maharashtra
BMC Elections 2026: Mumbai’s Civic Polls Return After 4 Years, Setting Stage For High-Stakes Multi-Party Battle
Mumbai: With the State Election Commission announcing the dates, preparations for the long-delayed BMC elections after nearly four years are finally underway.
During this period, the split in the Shiv Sena, shifting alliances among the BJP, Congress, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and repeated delays in holding polls led to the BMC being run by appointed administrators rather than elected representatives.
Reshaped by recent political upheavals in Maharashtra, the upcoming BMC election has transformed from a once-predictable contest into a high-stakes, multi-party battle.
As Mumbai moves back to elected governance, the results will reflect public opinion, political strength, and the future course of urban politics in India’s financial hub.
In the years after Independence, the Indian National Congress held a strong grip on the BMC, reflecting its dominance in Maharashtra politics. This began to change in the late 20th century, as the Shiv Sena, built on Marathi pride and regional identity, steadily gained influence in Mumbai.
The party first came to power in the BMC in 1985, and by 1997, it had established firm control, beginning nearly two decades of largely uninterrupted rule. For years, the Shiv Sena governed the BMC either alone or in alliance with the BJP.
However, the long-standing alliance was disrupted in 2017, a turning point when the Shiv Sena emerged as the single largest party while the BJP made significant gains, finishing a close second. Despite being allies at the state and national levels, the two parties clashed fiercely, exposing cracks in their partnership.
In 2019, Maharashtra politics saw major shifts with the formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, an alliance of the Shiv Sena, Congress, and NCP led by Uddhav Thackeray.
The political landscape changed further when the Shiv Sena split into Uddhav-led and Eknath Shinde-led factions, and the NCP divided into Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar groups in 2023.
In 2022, Shinde led a rebellion, with most Shiv Sena legislators joining him and the BJP to form the state government. This weakened the original Shiv Sena faction and removed a strong regional rival to the BJP in state politics.
With the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), the BJP is poised to fulfil its long-standing goal of electing a mayor from its alliance. On the other hand, there is strong speculation that the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena may join forces in an attempt to challenge the ruling alliance and regain power.
The upcoming BMC election is more than just about roads, flooding, or waste management—it marks the return of elected leadership after nearly four years under state-appointed administrators Iqbal Singh Chahal from March 2022, followed by Bhushan Gagrani in March 2024.
Voters will compare the performance of administrators with what elected leaders could deliver. For the rival Shiv Sena factions, the polls are a fight for legacy and legitimacy, the BJP aims to strengthen its hold in urban Maharashtra, and Congress and other regional parties hope to regain a foothold in Mumbai.
Major political parties
1992 | 2002 | 2012 | 2017
Shiv Sena — 69 | 98 | 75 | 84
BJP — 14 | 35 | 31 | 82
Congress — 112 | 60 | 52 | 31
NCP — 0 | 13 | 13 | 09
Samajwadi Party — 0 | 10 | 09 | 06
(In 1992, Mumbai had 220 wards, which have now been increased to 227.)
Maharashtra
‘Won’t leave protest site until new FIR lodged’: Congress leaders support Rahul Gandhi’s sit-in

Congress leaders, who have been accompanying Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi during his sit-in outside a Delhi police station on Friday, asserted that the agitation will continue till the police registers a fresh First Information Report (FIR) as sought by a purported pellet-gun victim.
LoP Gandhi, who was later joined by Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, is staging the sit-in outside the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police at Delhi’s Parliament Street Police Station, protesting the alleged refusal of the police to register an FIR on a complaint by a student, Sahil Lochab, who the Congress claimed, suffered pellet-gun injuries during last month’s protests demanding education reforms at Jantar Mantar.
Speaking to reporters, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said: “His (Lochab’s) lawyer has demanded the registration of an FIR. This is not some general FIR but rather a strictly defined one, concerning the illegal manner in which police action took place (against Sahil), where pellet guns were used.”Maintaining that their demand has not been accepted yet, he said: “Discussions must be going on. They must have spoken to the Home Secretary, they must have spoken to the Commissioner of Police, Delhi, and ultimately, they have to speak to the Home Minister. But so far, nothing has been conveyed to us.”
“Rahul ji is absolutely clear: Until an FIR is registered, and a new FIR registration number is given, we will not leave from here,” he asserted.Admitting that a general FIR regarding complaints against the alleged police action during the July 20 Parliament march has been registered, Ramesh specified that the pellet gun victim has sought a new FIR.”It is completely unacceptable and condemnable that the BJP is viewing the matter through the lens of polarisation.”Congress MP Kishori Lal Sharma also took part in the agitation.
“This is a very shameful matter. The democratic right of an ordinary citizen states that if any injustice is done to him, an FIR should be registered. But they are not even registering that as the government is scared,” Sharma remarked while speaking to IANS.”The Leader of the Opposition had to come here… Does any investigation take place without registering an FIR? Why is the government scared about the truth coming out regarding who ordered the use of pellet guns? The Home Minister didn’t come to the Parliament and FIRs are also not being registered,” he said.
Congress leader Mukul Wasnik, who was also present at the site, said: “Our fight will continue till the government reveals the truth regarding who ordered the firing of pellet guns on students.”Meanwhile, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari told reporters in Uttar Pradesh that Rahul Gandhi has gone to “secure the right of a victim”.
“The pellet gun was fired on the 20th (of July). Today, it has been over a month, yet no FIR has been filed so far. So, Rahul Gandhi went to file an FIR to seek justice in accordance with the laws of India. Under Indian law—and anywhere in the world—filing an FIR is every victim’s absolute right. He went there to secure the right of a victim, and all of us stand with him in this struggle,” he said.Further, he accused the Centre of “shielding the accused”.In Rajasthan, Congress leader Sachin Pilot said: “Rahul Gandhi is making every effort to ensure that those people get justice…The youths who were hit by pellet guns…Everyone has the right to seek justice…”
Maharashtra
Muharram Fayyaz’s Conspiracy Impacts Eid Milad-un-Nabi ProcessionPolice Alert on Niyaz, Langar, Traffic Rules & Safety

The effect of Muharram Fayyaz’s poisonous conspiracy on the Eid Milad-un-Nabi procession
Police’s view on the distribution of food and langar, appeal to adhere to the rules, police and scholars advise in the important meeting of the Khilafat Committee to avoid rush driving including triple seats and superstitions
In view of the Mumbai Eid Milad-un-Nabi (peace be upon him) procession, the Mumbai Police has issued an alert. The poisonous conspiracy of Fayyaz Premji will also affect the procession this year in Muharram-ul-Haram, so the police will be keeping an eye on the distribution of food and langar in the procession. Along with this, the police have appealed to the procession administration and the participants of the procession to refrain from distributing edible items, food and water because it is very difficult to trace and trace who has distributed these items.
Therefore, now the police stations will also register those organizations that distribute food items. This kind of view was expressed by Additional Commissioner Central Region Vikram Di Mane in the Khilafat Committee meeting. He said that it is necessary to take care of the rules and regulations in the procession. If someone If he violates this, action will be taken against him. DJs are completely banned and therefore action will be taken against those who bring DJs. It is the duty of the organizers to explain to those who bring DJs because later they have to be removed and bad moods arise.
Additional Commissioner Shalish South Region said that although the rules and regulations are taken care of in the procession, but despite this, there is a need for effective changes in it. Similarly, the length of the flags and trucks in the procession should also be fixed. Last year, there was a problem near the Parsi statue standing in this matter. In this important meeting of the Khilafat Committee, Hazrat Maulana Moinuddin Ashraf Al-Mu’rif Moin Mian also appealed to the youth to avoid un-Islamic matters and superstitions in the procession, to avoid triple riding on motorcycles and violating other rules, and to avoid revelry. He said that we celebrate the birth anniversary of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
In this, we should take care that no one’s feelings are hurt in this procession and heart-wrenching slogans should be avoided. If anyone is found involved in un-Islamic behavior, the administration and the police will take action against him. The participants of the procession should also keep this in mind that the rules and regulations have been fixed and the guiding principles must be followed. In this meeting, Khilafat Committee Working President Sarfaraz Arzoo also addressed the gathering and informed the attendees about the history of Khilafat. In this meeting, MLA Amin Patel, Manoj Jamsatkar, Javed Jinja and Corporator also addressed the gathering. Senior police officers and Senior Police Inspector ACP Tanveer Sheikh were also present in the meeting.
Maharashtra
Mumbai: QR-code collar strap for identification and digital registration of vaccinated stray dogs, BMC’s technology-based initiative

Mumbai The Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has launched a technology-based initiative to use QR coded reflective collars for stray dogs. These collars will facilitate identification of stray dogs that have undergone anti-rabies vaccination and sterilization, as well as enable their digital registration and tracking. In this regard, an agreement was signed between BMC and Ridlan AI Foundation at the BMC headquarters today (August 20, 2026). The event was attended by Deputy Commissioner (Special) Vinay Vijpute, Head of Veterinary Health Department Dr. Kaleem Pasha Pathan, and Akshay Ridlan of Ridlan AI Foundation, along with other officials and staff of the Veterinary Health Department. As per the directions of the High Court. With the objective of animal welfare in mind, various measures are being implemented under the guidance of BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide. Led by Ashwini Bhide and Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Prajakta Laungare, these initiatives include stray dog management, Animal Birth Control (ABC) and anti-rabies measures. Moreover, to achieve the broader goal of making Mumbai rabies-free by 2030, the corporation is strengthening field-level surveillance and management through the use of technology and digital information systems. This initiative has been taken as part of these efforts. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) conducts a massive anti-rabies vaccination drive for stray dogs every year. Earlier, vaccinated dogs were identified with coloured ink or other temporary markings. However, as these markings started fading or disappearing over time, long-term identification and monitoring became difficult. The initiative to use reflective collars equipped with QR codes will enable a more sustainable, systematic and technology-enabled mechanism for identifying dogs that have undergone vaccination and sterilization. As per the established data access protocol, the recorded information about a specific dog can be retrieved through QR tags, facilitating more effective monitoring of vaccination, sterilization, and health interventions. This digital system will support evidence-based planning, prevent duplication of necessary interventions, enhance field-level surveillance, and strengthen coordination between BMC, animal welfare organizations, veterinary teams, and other stakeholders. In the future, this digital registry can serve as a key source of information for Mumbai’s long-term rabies eradication strategy. Moreover, this initiative has immense importance from a public health perspective. Access to reliable and up-to-date information on vaccination and deworming coverage will help identify gaps in service, improve follow-up measures, and strengthen efforts to eradicate rabies. According to the municipal administration, this digital registry will help improve coordination between animal welfare and public health systems, thus reinforcing the broader goal of reducing human deaths from dog-transmitted rabies.
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