The final day for filing nominations for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections turned into a scene of intense last-minute activity on Tuesday. This rush was triggered by the late finalization of seat-sharing agreements within two major political alliances only on Monday evening.
A Race Against the Clock
With the deadline set at 5 PM on Tuesday, several candidates were still waiting in queues as late as 6 PM to submit their duly-filled nomination papers. Officials confirmed that those who had joined the queue before the cut-off time were permitted to file their forms. This resulted in a massive surge, with 1,668 candidates submitting their nominations on the final day alone for the January 15 polls. In stark contrast, only 401 candidates had filed their papers until the previous day.
The Multi-Cornered Contest Takes Shape
The battle for control of India's richest civic body is shaping up as a multi-cornered fight. Three principal alliances are in the fray: the BJP-Shiv Sena (Mahayuti), the Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS-NCP (SP) coalition, and the Congress-Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) combine. Additionally, two significant political forces are contesting independently: the NCP led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and the Ramdas Athavale-led Republican Party of India (A).
The Ajit Pawar-led NCP, which has a limited presence in Mumbai and is not part of the Mahayuti for these polls, has fielded 94 candidates across the total 227 BMC seats. The RPI(A), traditionally with the Mahayuti at central and state levels, has demanded 12 seats from the BJP's quota. The party has stated it will otherwise contest 38 seats on its own in what it terms a 'friendly fight'.
Seat-Sharing Deals and Rebel Troubles
The BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena arrived at a 137-90 seat-sharing arrangement after a week of negotiations. The Shinde Sena distributed party forms to all its 90 candidates early on Tuesday, fielding almost all 40-odd former corporators who switched from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT).
On the other side, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Raj Thackeray-led MNS finalized a 165-52 pact, with 10 seats allocated for the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP). The MNS distributed its forms to candidates on Monday night. The Congress is contesting 167 seats, leaving 60 for its ally VBA.
With alliances stitched together, parties now face the significant task of pacifying rebels. The 'one seat per alliance' rule in each ward has led to a considerable number of disgruntled aspirants across parties. While parties have until January 2, 2026, the last date for withdrawal, to convince rebels to step back, political rallies are set to commence from the start of the new year. Campaigning will conclude on the evening of January 13.
In a bid to manage internal dissent, most major parties, except Congress, NCP, and NCP (SP), distributed party forms directly to nominees instead of releasing official candidate lists. Defections and rebellions marked the final nomination day, with some candidates jumping ship at the last moment and being promptly rewarded with tickets by rival parties.
The BMC election is a high-stakes battle, particularly for the Thackeray cousins—Uddhav and Raj—who are fighting for political relevance and survival in Mumbai's crucial civic arena.
