Upcoming BMC Elections Spark Political Activity in Maharashtra

Political Buzz Ahead of BMC Elections

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections are set for January 15, prompting a surge in political activities across Maharashtra. Following the announcement, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has initiated discussions with its allies in the Mahayuti coalition. The BJP will engage in talks regarding seat allocation and election strategies with its key partners, including the Shiv Sena and the Republican Party of India (RPI), led by Ramdas Athawale. According to party insiders, a meeting between the BJP and RPI is scheduled for noon, followed by a discussion with the Shiv Sena at 2 PM.

Participants in the Meetings

The discussions will take place at Vasant Hall in Dadar. Senior BJP leaders participating in the talks include:

Amit Satam

Atul Bhatkhalkar

Praveen Darekar

Ashish Shelar

Shiv Sena Representatives

The Shiv Sena will be represented by the following leaders:

Uday Samant

Ravindra Waikar

Prakash Surve

Rahul Shewale

BMC Election Schedule

During a press conference, State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare announced the long-awaited schedule for the municipal elections, stating that the nomination process will commence on December 23 and conclude on December 30.

Elections will be held for a total of 29 municipal corporations, including the BMC. Voters will cast their ballots for 2,869 seats across major urban centers in Maharashtra, with approximately 34.8 million eligible voters.

The municipalities participating in the elections include Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

The announcement of the elections comes amid ongoing political controversies in Mumbai regarding alleged "vote theft." Opposition parties claim that fake and fraudulent names have been added to voter lists ahead of these crucial elections.

The BMC has begun verifying the voter lists, while the Shiv Sena (UBT) is conducting a parallel ground verification campaign across all 227 municipal wards.

This will be the first BMC election following the split in the Shiv Sena in 2022, and it will see a direct contest against the faction led by Eknath Shinde, which is part of the BJP-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra. The election results will determine the political and financial control of Mumbai, India's financial capital.