Maharashtra Municipal Elections: Key Highlights and Voter Engagement
Overview of the Municipal Elections in Maharashtra
On January 15, 2023, municipal elections are taking place across Maharashtra, involving 29 municipal corporations. The spotlight is particularly on the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which boasts an annual budget of ₹74,400 crores. Voting will occur from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM across 893 wards and 2,869 seats, with approximately 3.48 crore voters and 15,931 candidates participating. In the BMC, nearly 1,700 candidates are contesting for 227 single-member wards after a four-year delay.
Voting Dynamics and Political Contest
Voting commenced early Thursday morning for the elections in 29 municipal bodies, with all eyes on Mumbai. The contest is particularly intriguing between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led alliance and the Thackeray brothers' coalition for control over the economically significant BMC. Polling began at 7:30 AM and will conclude at 5:30 PM, determining the political futures of 15,931 candidates through the votes of 3.48 crore citizens. In the BMC elections, 1,700 candidates are vying for 227 seats, with the corporation's budget standing at ₹74,000 crores.
Election Context and Historical Significance
Aside from Mumbai, other urban bodies are utilizing a multi-member ward system. The counting of votes is scheduled for January 16. This election marks the first BMC election following the split of the Shiv Sena in 2022, when Eknath Shinde separated from the party along with a majority of its legislators, subsequently acquiring the party's name and election symbol. The undivided Shiv Sena had governed the BMC, the wealthiest municipal corporation in the country, for 25 years.
In a significant political development ahead of the elections, estranged cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray have reunited to consolidate Marathi voters, while rival factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have formed alliances in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. The opposition Congress has opted for a separate path to strengthen its presence in Mumbai, distancing itself from its allies in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), namely the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar's NCP. Instead, Congress has allied with Prakash Ambedkar's Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and the Nationalist Social Party in the state capital, while contesting independently in Nagpur.
These elections are significant as they are being held after a gap of over six years, with the previous terms of these municipal bodies having ended between 2020 and 2023. The municipalities involved include Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar, Kalyan-Dombivli, Kolhapur, Nagpur, Mumbai, Solapur, Amravati, Akola, Nashik, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune, Ulhasnagar, Thane, Chandrapur, Parbhani, Mira-Bhayander, Nanded-Waghala, Panvel, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Latur, Malegaon, Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad, Jalgaon, Ahilyanagar, Dhule, Jalna, and Ichalkaranji.