Mumbai: (Kamar Ansari) The State Election Commission has announced that elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be conducted on January 15, with the counting of votes scheduled for January 16. The announcement brings clarity on the long-awaited civic polls in India’s financial capital.

The Election Commission announced the schedule for elections to 29 municipal corporations, stating that nomination papers for all municipal corporation polls will be accepted only in offline mode, and the voter list will be based on the July 25, 2025 electoral roll.

Election Schedule

Nomination Period: December 23 to December 30, 2025

Scrutiny of Applications: December 31, 2025

Withdrawal of Candidature: January 2, 2026

Final Candidate List & Symbol Allotment: January 3, 2026

Polling Date: January 15, 2026

Counting of Votes: January 16, 2026

The Mumbai civic elections form part of the broader Maharashtra local body election process, which includes polls for municipal corporations, municipal councils, and other local bodies across the state. The decision aims to complete the entire election process within the stipulated legal timeframe.

The BMC, India’s richest civic body, has been functioning without an elected house for several years and has remained under administrative control. The upcoming elections are expected to restore elected representation and accountability in the city’s civic governance.

Political parties have begun preparations for an intensive campaign, with key civic issues such as road conditions, water supply, solid waste management, flood control, housing redevelopment, and environmental protection expected to dominate the election discourse.

The State Election Commission is likely to issue a detailed election programme in the coming days, including nomination schedules, scrutiny dates, and campaigning guidelines. Security arrangements and election machinery are also being put in place to ensure a smooth and transparent polling process across Mumbai.

The announcement has generated significant political activity, with all major parties viewing the BMC elections as a crucial contest that will shape Mumbai’s administrative and political future.

Mumbai: Nagpur Samajwadi Party leader and MLA Abu Asim Azmi presented a private bill in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly against those who spread blasphemy and religious hatred. The bill demands action against hate elements and calls for action under MCOCA and UAPA against those who spread religious hatred, in addition to ten years of imprisonment and a bail of Rs 2 lakh so that sectarians do not get bail and such cases of spreading religious hatred are banned. He told the House that there has been an increase in cases of blasphemy in the country and in such a situation, tension arises in the country. Action should be taken against such elements to maintain law and order. This will be possible only when action is taken against such sectarians who promote a hate agenda under the guise of freedom of expression. He said that the Supreme Court had also issued an order for strict action against hate elements and miscreants and has banned inflammatory and hate speech. In such a situation, Maharashtra The bill has been formally introduced in the House to take action against those who spread religious hatred and incite hatred against important people. The draft bill proposes to register a case against communalists under the section of the MCOCA UAPA, which carries a maximum sentence of ten years, so that such elements cannot be granted bail.

Mumbai: Police claims to have busted a petrol theft gang. The accused were arrested for attempting to steal petrol from BPCL company on November 14 at around 3:30 am under the limits of RCF police station in Mumbai. A complaint was registered for attempting to steal fuel from the underground 18-inch Mumbai Manmade Multi-Product pipeline on Mumbai Gadkari Road. Vinod Devchand Pandit was arrested from Chembur on November 17 on the basis of technical investigation and information from an informant. His investigation revealed that the mastermind of this racket, Riaz Ahmed Ayub (59), Salim Mohammad Ali, Vinod Devchand Pandit had hatched a plan to steal fuel. 13 accused including Gopal Narayan, Mohammad Irfan, Vinay Shashikant, Ahmed Khan Juman Khan, Nishan Jagdish, Mustafa Manzoor, Nasir Shaukat, Imtiaz Asif have been arrested. All these accused have been arrested from various areas. Their arrests were made from Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and surrounding areas. This operation was carried out by Additional Commissioner Mahesh Patil and DCP Sameer Sheikh on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti.