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A sense of uncertainty prevailed among young voters in Mumbai as they cast their ballot for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election on Thursday (January 15, 2026). Most expected a “well-educated person” to be appointed as the BMC Mayor after the polls.
Until the very last moment leading up to the polls, many remained undecided about their choice. The confusion was centred around the multiple alliances in the fray in the civic body polls in Mumbai, the country’s richest civic body.
On Thursday (January 15, 2026), as many as 1,700 candidates contested in the 227 wards in Mumbai. Of these, The Hindu visited wards 9 and 21.
In ward 9, candidates of the BJP, Shiv Sena (UBT), AAP, and Congress were in the poll fray, while ward 21 in Kandivali has BJP, MNS, and BSP candidates contesting.
Payal Dongre (20) and Rahul Khernar (30), both residents of Borivali, raised concern that these elections have been “confusing” as they find themselves “stuck in making the right choice”.
Ms. Dongre, who voted for the first time, said: “BJP is communal, MNS is not less communal either. So how to decide the right candidate? I could only choose the least bad.” She said that she expects increased employment opportunities for locals of Mumbai.
While Mr. Khernar expressed satisfaction with the BJP’s developmental agenda, he said he has hesitations over placing trust in the turncoats. Citing the example of BJP candidate Shweta Korgaonkar, who fought for Congress in the 2017 elections, he said: “We elect one candidate and [later] see that he is entering the party we don’t want. No credibility or integrity is left in candidates or their parties.”
In the 2017 BMC polls, Mr. Korgaonkar won from ward 9, and is now contesting on a BJP ticket in ward 16. In this ward, the battle is against BJP’s Shivanand Shetty, who was a Congress corporator in 2012. Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Sanjay Bhosale and BSP’s Haresh Manoriya are also contesting.
It’s a four-cornered battle in ward 9 with the fight between the Mahayuti, comprising BJP, RPI, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde); Congress and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA); Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP-SP, and MNS; and BSP.
For ward 21, it is between BJP, MNS, and BSP.
For BJP, who controlled ward 21 in 2017, this time will be about regaining control, contesting against Congress and BSP.
BJP ex-corporator Leena Deherkar of ward 30 was given a ticket from party to contest in ward 21.
In 2017, the BJP won 82 seats, its all-time high, while Shiv Sena (UBT) won 84 seats. Congress performed poorly, winning only 31 seats and MNS only 7. These numbers indicate the BJP has slowly increased its hold in the BMC, traditionally dominated by the Thackerays.
A voter from Kandivali, a software engineer by profession who did not wish to be named, said: “All parties have their own voter base, and these alliances of convenience are protecting these bases. We are just fillers who are voting based on hope”.
Daisy Lal (21), resident of Mahavirnagar, Kandivali, finds the development agenda of the BJP appealing, saying, “Comparing four years of the BJP with 25 years of Uddhav Thackeray and the family, development has been more visible during the BJP’s tenure.” She said she does not align with the concept of Hindutva, but added that “sometimes development needs to be prioritised”.
The voters also pointed out that the BJP and Shiv Sena (UBT) haveset their agenda aroundthe Hindutva identity and Marathi Manoos identity respectively, giving their campaign a communal colour.
The BJP-led Mahayuti has been saying the Mayor will be “Hindu-Marathi”, while Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS declared that they would appoint a Marathi Mayor. However, Gen-Z voters are firm on seeking an “educated Mayor” who intends to lead with effective policies.
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