Mumbai BMC Elections 2026: Full List of BJP Candidates Fighting Civic Polls

Ruling allies in Maharashtra, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, are gearing up to contest the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.

As per the seat-sharing agreement between both parties, the BJP will contest 137 seats, while Shinde’s faction of the party has fielded candidates for 90 seats. The BMC polls will be held on Jan. 15 for 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra. 

Although the BJP and Shinde’s Shiv Sena are allies, another Mahayuti constituent, the NCP led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, is contesting the BMC polls separately. 

Given the seat-sharing division, the BJP is positioning itself as the "big brother" in the BMC alliance. The move also signals the party's ambitions to secure the mayor’s post in Mumbai. 

While the BJP has downplayed the impact of the alliance, the patch up between cousins Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS President Raj Thackeray, who ended a 20-year political feud, to join forces for the Jan.15 polls, could be a critical factor in the upcoming elections. 

Through the alliance, the Thackeray cousins will be looking to solidify their political influence in Mumbai and Maharashtra, at a time when the BJP continues to gain ground as the dominant party.

The results for the BMC polls will be announced on Jan. 16.

In the BMC elections held in 2017 for 227 seats, the BJP made giant strides in the Shiv Sena citadel of Mumbai, winning 82 seats, just two seats behind the estranged ally Shiv Sena (undivided).

The Congress was relegated to the third position with 31 seats, whereas the NCP (undivided) and Raj Thackeray's MNS were reduced to 9 and 7 seats, respectively.

AIMIM had won three seats on debut, Samajwadi Party six, Akhil Bhartiya Sena one, and Independents four.

(With PTI inputs)