BMC Election Results: Mahayuti Ends Thackeray Era, Claims Mumbai’s Civic Crown After 28 Years

Mumbai | Undercover Editor News Channel, January 16, 2026

Mumbai:

The BJP-led Mahayuti has scripted history in Mumbai by wresting control of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), bringing an end to the Thackeray family’s nearly three-decade-long dominance over Asia’s richest civic body. The results mark a decisive political shift in the country’s financial capital and reaffirm the BJP’s growing grip over Maharashtra’s urban electorate.

Under the leadership of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the Bharatiya Janata Party has delivered its strongest-ever performance in the BMC, surpassing its previous best of 82 seats achieved in 2017. The BJP has so far won or is leading in 88 of the total 227 wards. Its ally, the Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, is ahead in 28 wards, taking the Mahayuti alliance comfortably past the majority mark of 114 seats.

With this victory, Mumbai is set to get a BJP–Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) mayor after a long gap, signaling a decisive end to the political stronghold the undivided Shiv Sena had maintained since 1985, barring a brief interruption in the early 1990s.

The outcome has firmly established Devendra Fadnavis as the central figure of the Mahayuti’s success. Party leaders and workers have credited his strategic leadership, campaign planning, and governance pitch for the alliance’s emphatic showing in the civic polls.

At the same time, the results underline the challenges faced by Eknath Shinde in consolidating the traditional Shiv Sena voter base in Mumbai. Despite most of the corporators elected on the Shiv Sena ticket in 2017 backing Shinde after the party split, his faction has managed to secure just over 30 seats, falling short of expectations in what was once the party’s core bastion.

Reacting to the results, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde termed the verdict a mandate for “development” and a rejection of “corruption.” Speaking to India Today, he said the BMC outcome reflected public approval of the Mahayuti government’s performance over the last three-and-a-half years. When asked about which party would get the mayor’s post, Shinde avoided specifics, stating that the mayor would be from the Mahayuti alliance.

On the opposition side, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) is leading or has won around 72 seats—down from the 84 seats the undivided party secured in 2017. While the numbers reflect a significant setback, the results also suggest that the Thackeray brand continues to retain a substantial support base in Mumbai, despite losing the party symbol and a section of its organisational machinery.

Senior BJP leader and Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane described the outcome as a clear endorsement of the alliance’s ideological campaign. Reacting to the early trends, he said the verdict showed public support for the BJP–Shiv Sena’s Hindutva narrative, adding that those who speak for Hindu interests would continue to rule Maharashtra.

As counting concludes, the BMC verdict is being seen as a political turning point—not just for Mumbai, but for Maharashtra’s broader power dynamics—setting the tone for future electoral battles in the state.