The 2026 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation election happened on January 15, 2026, to choose members for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, which is the second largest city in India. Voting lasted one day, and the results were announced on January 16.

The Maha Yuti group, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, got enough votes to win. The BJP became the biggest party, winning 89 seats by itself. After the election, Ritu Tawde from the BJP was chosen as the Mayor of Mumbai.

Background

The Maharashtra government introduced a system with four members per ward for most city councils, except for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The ruling parties said this would improve democracy, but the opposition worried about delays in elections and questioned why the government did not ask the court to speed up the process.

• Revised Boundaries: The BMC shared a final plan for changing the boundaries of its 227 electoral wards with the State Election Commission (SEC). About 20–25% of ward boundaries were changed, affecting around 60 wards.

• Reasons for Changes: Updates were made based on changes in voter lists. Boundary changes showed how people moved due to new buildings, roads, and housing projects.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has 24 administrative areas, which are split into 227 electoral wards for elections. Each ward has an officer who manages local services. The ward boundaries were redrawn in early 2025.

• Instructions from SEC: In August, the State Election Commission told city councils to start the process of redrawing ward boundaries.

• Criteria for Changes: Adjustments were made based on population changes from new census data. Changes happened when a ward’s population changed by more than 10%.

• Public Input: After the SEC approved the plan, people could share suggestions or objections.

• Population Basis: Each ward is designed to have about 54,000 people. Adjustments were made to account for growth in suburban areas and fewer people in the city center.

• Impact on Elected Officials: Redrawing boundaries split some suburban wards into four parts, which affected how representatives were chosen.

Mayor & Deputy Mayor Election

In 2026, the selection of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) ended the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s (former Shiv Sena) 25-year control of the civic body. For the first time in over 40 years, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the mayor’s position.

• Ritu Tawde (BJP), an elected representative from Ward 132, was chosen as the mayoral candidate by the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
• She was elected without opposition after the Shiv Sena (UBT) decided not to nominate a challenger.
• The mayor’s position was reserved for a woman candidate from the open category through a lottery system.

• Sanjay Shankar Ghadi (Shiv Sena – Shinde faction), an elected representative from Ward 5, was selected as the deputy mayoral candidate.
• Ghadi will serve as Deputy Mayor for 15 months, with the Shiv Sena planning to rotate the position among its elected representatives.

• The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance gained 118 elected representatives, reaching the halfway point of 114.
• The Mumbai mayoral election took place on 11 February 2026, the final day for submitting nominations.
• Ritu Tawde’s election makes her the first BJP mayor of Mumbai in 44 years.
• The result ended the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s (former Shiv Sena) continuous control of the mayor’s position since 1997.