The Bharatiya Janata Party and its ally Shiv Sena surged ahead in Mumbai's crucial municipal corporation elections on Friday. Vote counting began at 10 am, revealing early trends that favor the ruling coalition.
Early Trends Show Strong Lead
According to television channel reports, the BJP led in 92 wards while Shiv Sena, under Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, maintained leads in 26 wards. These numbers emerged from 210 of the total 227 wards in Mumbai.
The State Election Commission has not provided official confirmation yet. However, the trends suggest the Mahayuti alliance could easily cross the majority mark of 114 seats needed to control the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
Opposition Trails Behind
The Thackeray cousins, who reunited after two decades just before Thursday's polling, found themselves trailing the ruling alliance. Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena-UBT led in 60 wards, while Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena managed leads in only 9 seats.
These elections will finally restore an elected house and Mayor to Mumbai after the city operated under an administrator since 2022.
The Stakes: India's Richest Municipal Body
Whoever wins these elections gains control of the country's wealthiest municipal corporation. The BMC presented its largest-ever budget of ₹74,427 crore for the 2025-26 fiscal year on February 4, 2025.
This budget represents a substantial 14 percent increase from the previous year's estimates. It stands as the highest budget by any local body in India.
Budget That Dwarfs States
The BMC's financial might becomes clear when compared with state budgets. Its ₹74,427 crore allocation exceeds the entire budgets of Goa, Sikkim, and Tripura combined.
Consider these state budgets for 2025-26:
- Goa: ₹28,162 crore
- Arunachal Pradesh: ₹39,842 crore
- Himachal Pradesh: ₹58,514 crore
- Sikkim: ₹16,196 crore
- Tripura: ₹31,412 crore
The BMC budget surpasses even the combined budgets of five other municipalities from India's top ten richest civic bodies.
India's Top Municipal Budgets
Here's how other major cities compare in municipal spending:
- BMC Mumbai: ₹74,427 crore (2025-26)
- BBMP Bengaluru: Approximately ₹19,930 crore (2025-26)
- MCD Delhi: Around ₹16,530 crore (2026-27)
- AMC Ahmedabad: ₹15,502 crore (2025-26)
- GHMC Hyderabad: ₹11,460 crore (2026-27)
- PMC Pune: ₹12,618 crore (2025-26)
- SMC Surat: Over ₹10,000 crore (2025-26)
- Chennai Corporation: ₹8,267.17 crore receipts (2025-26)
- KMC Kolkata: Approximately ₹5,166.5 crore (2024-25)
- GVMC Visakhapatnam: ₹4,762 crore (2025-26)
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi's proposed budget for 2026-27 focuses on sanitation, health, and infrastructure without introducing new taxes. Bengaluru's BBMP passed its approximately ₹19,930 crore budget for 2025-26.
Perspective on Scale
Ranchi Municipality's total budget amounts to less than one percent of the BMC's massive allocation. This disparity highlights the extraordinary financial resources at Mumbai's disposal.
What This Means for Mumbai
The election outcome will significantly influence Mumbai's governance and infrastructure development for years to come. Control of such substantial financial resources gives the winning coalition tremendous power to shape India's financial capital.
With the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance appearing poised for victory, Mumbai residents can expect continuity in the current administration's approach to urban management. The massive budget provides opportunities for substantial improvements in services, infrastructure, and public amenities.
All eyes remain on the final results as counting continues. The winning coalition will inherit not just political control but also responsibility for managing resources larger than those available to several Indian states.
