Maharashtra municipal election results LIVE: Counting to start for BMC and 28 civic bodies

The Maharashtra State Election Commission is set to announce the results of the high-stakes civic polls to 29 municipal corporations, including Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), shortly. The results come a day after voting was held on January 15 for 2,869 seats across 893 wards.

Apart from Mumbai, key civic bodies to watch include Pune, Thane, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Kalyan-Dombivli, Mira-Bhayandar, Ulhasnagar and Navi Mumbai.

The elections have drawn heightened attention due to major realignments in state politics, with former allies turning rivals and erstwhile opponents joining forces. The Thackeray cousins — Uddhav and Raj — who ended their long-standing feud last June, contested the civic polls together. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction faced off against Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) in key battlegrounds such as Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.

Civic bodies that went to polls

The 29 municipal corporations that voted include Mumbai (BMC), Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli, Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar, Ulhasnagar, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Panvel, Nagpur, Nashik, Kolhapur, Solapur, Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad, Jalgaon, Malegaon, Dhule, Latur, Chandrapur, Parbhani, Nanded-Waghala, Amravati, Akola, Ahilyanagar, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Ichalkaranji.

Turnout mixed, Kolhapur tops the list

Polling began at 7:30 am and concluded at 5:30 pm on Thursday. While final turnout figures are awaited, State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare said voter participation across the 29 civic bodies was estimated to be between 46% and 50%.

By 3:30 pm, Kolhapur recorded the highest turnout at 50.85%, followed by Parbhani, Thane, Vasai-Virar and Panvel. Mumbai’s BMC recorded a turnout of around 41%, among the lowest in the state.

Erasable ink allegations

The polling day was also marked by allegations over the use of marker pens or so-called “erasable ink,” with voters claiming the ink could be wiped off using hand sanitisers.

“Perhaps this is the first election where so many complaints are coming in that the ink applied is coming off immediately. There is collusion between the Election Commission and the ruling party. Many irregularities are happening,” Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray said, according to ANI.

Exit polls favour Mahayuti

Several exit polls have predicted an advantage for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in the BMC elections. According to Axis My India, the BJP–Shiv Sena alliance is projected to win 131–151 seats, while the Shiv Sena (UBT)–MNS–NCP (SP) alliance is expected to secure 58–68 seats. The Congress–VBA–RSP alliance is projected to win 12–16 seats, with others accounting for 6–12 seats.

Another agency, JVC, projected the BJP-led alliance to win at least 138 seats.