Mumbai: Voting for the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections commenced at 7:30 am on Thursday, January 15, 2026, ending almost four years without an elected civic body in the city. Long queues formed early across all 227 wards as residents arrived to select from nearly 1,700 candidates.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray voted in Bandra along with his family members. Speaking after casting his ballot, he urged citizens to exercise their franchise. “Our entire family voted together and we appeal to all voters in all constituencies where elections are being held to come out and cast their votes,” Thackeray said.
He, however, questioned the functioning of the electoral system. “It should be revealed how the Election Commissioner is paid. Mumbai municipal elections are being held after a nine-year gap. What were the Election Commissioner and his staff doing all these years? Action should be taken against them,” he added.
Earlier, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray cast his vote with his family at Balmohan Vidya Mandir School in Shivaji Park, Dadar. Addressing reporters, he alleged opacity in the conduct of the polls. “I need to tell you how this system is being run. It is all about winning elections by any means necessary and the government and administration are doing everything in their power to achieve this,” Raj Thackeray said.
#WATCH | Maharashtra: MNS chief Raj Thackeray, along with his family, arrives at a polling station in Mumbai to cast his vote for the BMC elections. pic.twitter.com/jEPhUXUbjm
— ANI (@ANI) January 15, 2026
He also raised issues regarding voting machines and re-polling. “They brought in the machine, but the Election Commission has not given complete information about it to any political party. Even after repeated requests and submitting letters, no clarification has been provided. The Election Commission should come forward and explain,” he stated.
The comments from both leaders came against the backdrop of numerous reports of technical and administrative issues during voting. Many voters faced problems downloading voter slips or finding their names at polling stations despite being registered. Several people reported that the Maharashtra State Election Commission website showed ‘data not available’, causing confusion at help desks outside booths.
Social media saw a surge of grievances, with users complaining that polling stations had been merged or relocated, forcing some to manually check printed voter lists and leading to delays.
Polling is scheduled to continue until 5:30 pm on Thursday. After voting ends, Electronic Voting Machines will be transported to secure zonal centres. The counting of votes is set for January 16, with results likely to be declared by evening.
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