Mumbai: The Mumbai Municipal Corporation administration has made complete preparations for the Mumbai BMC general elections 2025-26. The municipal corporation and the election administration have planned meticulously so that every voter can easily exercise their right to vote in this important exercise of democracy. A total of 1 crore 3 lakh 44 thousand 315 voters will exercise their right to vote in this election. A total of 10 thousand 231 polling stations have been identified for them at various locations. This includes schools, colleges, government/semi-government buildings, cooperative housing societies as well as private buildings. Municipal Commissioner and District Election Officer Bhushan Gagrani said that the polling stations have been planned keeping in mind the population, number of voters and geographical conditions in each ward.

Municipal Commissioner Gagrani said that in connection with the general elections to the Mumbai Municipal Corporation, the final list of 227 ward-wise polling stations prepared by the Election Department of the Municipal Corporation in compliance with the rules and regulations of the State Election Commission has been published. The final list of polling stations has been prepared to provide easy and secure voting facilities to the voters while maintaining transparency in the election process as per the instructions of the State Election Commission. To avoid any problem or inconvenience on the polling day, voters should make sure in advance which is their respective polling station. The ward-wise final list of polling stations has been published with the aim of providing ease, transparency and convenience to the voters in the voting process.

A total of 10,231 polling stations have been identified for the voters in the jurisdiction of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation, as per the 24 administrative division offices in seven wards and 23 central polling stations. Special facilities will be provided for the disabled, senior citizens and women to avoid any inconvenience during the voting process. Facilities like power supply, drinking water, toilets, ramps etc. have been provided at the polling stations. These have been inspected and verified by the Returning Officer. ‘Voter Assistance Centres’ will be set up near the polling stations to help voters find their names. Information boards have been directed to be installed at the polling stations. Gagrani said that overall, extensive and planned arrangements have been made for polling stations at different locations and in different types of places to ensure a smooth, safe and easy voting process. A total of 10,231 polling stations will be set up in different types of buildings and locations, keeping in mind the past schedule of polling stations. Out of which 4,386 polling stations are being set up in government/semi-government buildings. Out of these, 2,387 polling stations will be in closed areas, 880 polling stations in semi-closed areas and 1,119 polling stations in open areas.

In addition, a total of 702 polling stations have been arranged in cooperative housing societies. Out of these, 181 polling stations will be in closed areas, 312 polling stations in semi-closed areas and 209 polling stations in open areas. In addition, a total of 5,143 polling stations will be set up in private buildings. Out of these, 2,710 polling stations will be in closed areas, 1,378 polling stations in semi-closed areas and 1,055 polling stations in open areas.

Mumbai: The ongoing tension between Samajwadi Party (SP) Maharashtra president Abu Asim Azmi and the party’s own MLA Rais Shaikh has taken a serious turn and could prove politically costly for the party in Mumbai and Bhiwandi. What began as internal differences has now escalated into an open power struggle, just as the bugle for municipal corporation elections across Mumbai and Maharashtra has been sounded.

For the past several months, relations between Abu Asim Azmi and MLA Rais Shaikh have remained strained. Sources within the party claim that Azmi had decided to completely sideline Rais Shaikh and hand over key organisational responsibilities to Yusuf Abhrani, a former Congress leader who recently joined the Samajwadi Party. This move reportedly deepened the rift, with speculation rife that Rais Shaikh might even switch allegiance to Ajit Pawar’s camp or return to the Congress, as he felt marginalised within his own party.

The simmering internal conflict has now spilled into the open with the start of civic election preparations. Rais Shaikh had requested party leadership to allot municipal tickets to some of his close aides, but the Samajwadi Party leadership allegedly refused to give tickets to any of his supporters. Feeling politically cornered, Rais Shaikh responded by fielding several of his associates as independent candidates.

More significantly, Rais Shaikh is said to have played a key role in ensuring that his personal assistant, Waqar Khan, received a Congress ticket from Ward No. 211—a seat that was earlier considered a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party. With Congress now officially fielding Waqar Khan from this ward, SP risks losing a seat it was once confident of winning.

Political observers believe that ignoring Rais Shaikh could cost the Samajwadi Party heavily not only in Govandi but also in Bhiwandi, where multiple seats may be affected due to rebel candidates and divided votes. Meanwhile, Yusuf Abhrani—projected as Rais Shaikh’s replacement—has fielded his daughter-in-law against Geeta Gawli, daughter of Arun Gawli, a move that too appears to have weakened SP’s prospects in that constituency.

As factionalism deepens, the Samajwadi Party now faces the possibility of significant electoral losses in key urban pockets. Whether the leadership will attempt damage control or allow the rift to widen further remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: internal discord may prove more damaging than opposition attacks in the upcoming municipal elections.

Mumbai: Police has exposed a gang of motorcycle thieves in Mumbai and claimed to have seized the stolen motorcycles. On December 20, the police had registered a complaint about the theft of an active motorcycle from the New Link Road area in the Malad area of ​​Mumbai. In the investigation of this crime, the police inspected the scene and examined 40 to 50 CCTV cameras installed around the place from where the motorcycle was stolen. The images of the thief who stole the motorcycle were captured in the camera. The accused was going towards Maloni with this motorcycle. The police investigated the matter day and night for two days and solved the case. In this case, the motorcycle thief Pratham Surendra, 18, was arrested. Two theft cases were registered against him in the Malad police station, one in VB Nagar, and one in Jogeshwari. This case has been solved on the initiative of Additional Commissioner North Shashi Kumar Meena, DCP Zone 11 Sandeep Jadhav. Five motorcycles have been seized as a result of this case and the police have claimed to have solved the mystery of the theft of four motorcycles in total. The police are investigating this matter further.