Maharashtra Civic Polls: Key Battles in Mumbai and Pune Heat Up
The civic polls in Maharashtra are about to kick off, with 29 municipal corporations, including key urban centers like Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Navi Mumbai, Thane, and Pimpri-Chinchwad, set to go to the polls. The stakes are high as political alliances and realignments have reshaped the landscape, making this election a crucial test of political strength and voter sentiment.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena are contesting the civic elections as allies under the Mahayuti banner, except in Pune. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has chosen to fight independently in most corporations, adding a layer of complexity to the political dynamics. However, in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, both NCP factions have come together under a joint manifesto, which is a significant development.
The main political battle remains centered on Mumbai and Pune. In Mumbai, the BJP-led Mahayuti will face the united Thackeray camp, as Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray joined hands just ahead of the civic polls on the issue of Marathi Manus. This move aims to consolidate Marathi votes and strengthen their position in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the country's richest civic body. The last BMC elections were held in 2017.
In Pune, a major political realignment has occurred. Both factions of the NCP, which split in 2023, have come together just before the civic polls for the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). Ajit Pawar rejoined hands with Sharad Pawar and contested against the BJP. Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shidne, opted to go solo in the PMC after failing to agree on a seat-sharing formula with the BJP.
According to the State Election Commission, a total of 3.48 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots to decide the fate of 15,908 candidates contesting 2,869 seats across 893 wards in 29 municipal corporations. A total of 39,092 polling centers have been set up across the state. Polling will be held on January 15 from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, with vote counting scheduled to begin on Friday, January 16.
The State Election Commission announced the election program for the general elections of 29 municipal corporations on December 15, 2025. Voting is being held for the municipal corporations of Brihanmumbai, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar, Kolhapur, Kalyan-Dombivli, Thane, Ulhasnagar, Nashik, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Solapur, Akola, Amravati, Nagpur, Chandrapur, Latur, Parbhani, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Malegaon, Panvel, Mira-Bhayandar, Nanded-Waghala, Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad, Jalgaon, Dhule, Ahilyanagar, Ichalkaranji, and Jalna.
The civic elections this time have witnessed significant political realignments in recent months, following the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections in 2024. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has reunited with his cousin and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray after nearly two decades. This move is aimed at consolidating Marathi votes and strengthening their position in the civic polls. The NCP, led by Ajit Pawar, has decided to go with Sharad Pawar's NCP to avoid the division of votes in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad Corporation. Several other unexpected alliances and defections have also reshaped the political landscape ahead of polling.
