Various flying squads have been constituted to conduct the Mumbai Municipal Corporation General Elections 2025-26 in a transparent and impartial manner and to ensure strict and effective implementation of the Model Code of Conduct. Appropriate and trained manpower has been provided for these teams. All the officers and employees of the flying teams shall discharge their duties honestly, timely and with full responsibility. Constant vigilance should be maintained to ensure that there is no violation of the election code of conduct during the election process and prompt action should be taken against any violation as per the rules, said Municipal Commissioner and District Election Officer Bhushan Gagrani.

As per the schedule of Municipal General Elections 2025-26 announced by the State Election Commission, Maharashtra, voting will be held on Thursday, January 15, 2026 from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm. Accordingly, the Model Code of Conduct is being implemented in the entire municipal limits. For this, department-wise teams have been set up in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation area. This includes Code of Conduct Squad, Static Surveillance Team, Videography Surveillance Team and Flying Squad Team etc.

Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr. Ashwani Joshi said that SST, FST and VST squads have been appointed in connection with the Municipal Corporation general elections. The final picture of the elections has become clear. Therefore, all the forces should be alert to prevent irregularities in the elections. The police and excise department staff should also work together with the returning officer. It is a big responsibility of all of us to conduct the elections peacefully and peacefully. Dr. Ashwani Joshi said that the Municipal Corporation administration is working in coordination with other agencies for this.
Municipal Corporation Commissioner Gagrani said that a code of conduct team is working in every administrative division under the supervision of the Divisional Assistant Commissioner. Citizens can lodge any information or complaint regarding violation of the Model Code of Conduct by directly contacting the Code of Conduct Cell in the concerned Division Office. A fixed surveillance team has been appointed at the check points where illegal transportation of items that may influence or entice voters, money, liquor and weapons may take place.

This team is deployed at a fixed place (check post). The main work of keeping an eye on illegal transportation of cash and liquor, transportation of weapons is being done by the fixed surveillance team. Similarly, flying squads have also been deployed to monitor activities that may influence or entice voters and keep an eye on illegal transportation of money and liquor or other suspicious activities. These teams are patrolling the ward and are acting like the fixed surveillance team. These teams conduct appropriate investigation, take legal action by making seizure if necessary. Further, if any violation of the code of conduct is noticed, it should be reported to the concerned Election Decision Officer and the concerned Police Station. In addition, a videography surveillance team is working at the level of each Election Decision Officer to provide information to the Election Decision Officer without any delay about important events, election campaign rounds, meetings as well as incidents of excessive expenditure and violations of the code of conduct taking place in the constituency.

Instructions have been given to record videos of incidents/rallies, campaign rounds, meetings or incidents violating the code of conduct taking place in the constituency during the code of conduct period and provide information about the same to the head of the code of conduct team and the concerned Election Decision Officer. The team leaders should personally supervise the above tasks, the officers/employees of the assigned team should coordinate with each other and complete the work within the stipulated time. If any negligence or negligence is found in the election work, disciplinary action will be taken as per the provisions of the rules.

Municipal Commissioner Gagrani said that the single window scheme has been implemented to ensure that candidates can obtain all types of permits from different departments easily and on time. Under this scheme, candidates will not need to visit the office of each department separately. The necessary permits of various departments of the Municipal Corporation including Fire Department, Licensing Department, Police Department, Traffic Police and Regional Transport Department are being made available at one place.

Mumbai: The court has sentenced the accused to 20 years rigorous imprisonment in the case of sexual abuse of a 9-year-old girl in Hussain Tekri Khar in Shivalik Compound under the limits of Nirmal Nagar police station in Mumbai. On December 18, 2022, the victim was playing outside her house when the accused Munawar Ghanu Malik, 52, sexually assaulted her and hid at his friend’s house. The police arrested him. After the sexual assault of the girl, the girl started crying loudly outside her house, after which she told her parents that an indecent act had been done to her. The victim’s mother filed a complaint at Nirmal Nagar police station and the police arrested Munawar. The police followed the matter thoroughly in the sessions court and the accused was convicted. On the advice of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti and DCP Manish Kalwaniya, the police followed the case in the best possible manner and the accused was convicted.

Thane: In a surprising political development at the municipal level, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress have come together to form a governing alliance in the Ambernath Municipal Council, effectively preventing the Shiv Sena from taking control despite its strong performance in the elections.

The Shiv Sena emerged as the single largest party in the recently concluded Ambernath civic polls but failed to secure a clear majority in the council. Taking advantage of the fractured mandate, the BJP stitched together a post-poll alliance with the Congress and other smaller parties to cross the majority mark and form the ruling body.

The new coalition, formed under a development-focused banner, has claimed that its primary objective is to ensure stability, efficient administration, and accelerated civic development in Ambernath. Leaders from the alliance stated that local governance requires practical decision-making beyond traditional political rivalries.

As part of the power-sharing arrangement, the BJP secured the key leadership position in the municipal council, while coalition partners were accommodated in the governing structure. The move has reshaped the political equations in the region and drawn sharp reactions from the Shiv Sena, which accused its rivals of engaging in opportunistic politics.

Shiv Sena leaders expressed disappointment over the alliance, terming it a contradiction of ideological positions and a setback to the mandate of voters. They maintained that the party would play a strong role as the opposition and continue to raise civic issues.

Political observers note that such unexpected alliances are becoming increasingly common in urban local body elections, where numbers and local priorities often outweigh long-standing political alignments. The Ambernath development is being closely watched as it may influence future municipal strategies across Maharashtra.

The formation of this alliance highlights the evolving nature of grassroots politics and underscores how local power dynamics can diverge sharply from state-level and national political narratives.