BMC Election 2026: 33,606 Candidates File Nominations For Civic Polls Across Maharashtra, 2,516 in Mumbai Alone
[By Sapna Desai Mumbai Samachar Desk]
Mumbai: A total of 2,122 candidates filed their nomination papers in Mumbai on Tuesday, the last day for submitting forms for the upcoming municipal corporation elections, taking the two-day tally in the city to 2,516. Across Maharashtra, 33,606 aspirants have entered the fray for 2,869 seats spread over 893 wards in 29 municipal corporations, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
The final day of nominations on December 30 saw high drama in several cities, particularly Mumbai, Nashik, Nagpur and Jalgaon, as political parties rushed to finalise candidates. Many disgruntled ticket hopefuls, denied party support, turned up as independents in a last-minute scramble to file papers.
Elections to 227 seats of the BMC are scheduled for January 15, 2026, with counting of votes to take place on January 16. The nomination process for Mumbai and other civic bodies began on December 23 and concluded on December 30.
Scrutiny of nomination papers started at 11 am on Wednesday, December 31. Candidates will be allowed to withdraw their nominations until 3 pm on January 2, 2026.
In Mumbai, the nomination process opened on December 23, but only about 400 forms had been submitted until December 29. On the final day alone, 2,122 nominations were filed, with officials stating that a total of 11,391 “AB forms” (party authorisation letters) were issued in the city by December 30.
In neighbouring Thane, 1,128 nomination forms were filed for 131 municipal seats, while in Navi Mumbai, 956 candidates submitted papers for 111 seats. The Vasai-Virar civic body saw 935 nominations for 115 seats.