Maharashtra State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare announced here on Monday that the long-awaited Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls will be held on January 15 and its results will be announced on January 16, 2026.
Addressing a press conference here at the Sahyadri Guest House in South Mumbai, Waghmare announced that elections to all 29 municipal corporations, including the BMC (Mumbai), Navi Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar municipal corporations, will be held on Thursday, January 15, 2026, and the results will be announced on Friday, January 16, 2026.
The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) will be effective from Monday (December 15, 2025) onwards, Waghmare announced.
Waghmare stated that the nomination process for candidates will begin on December 23, 2025, and go on until December 30, 2025, while nominations will be scrutinised on December 31, 2025.
Candidates can withdraw their candidacy until January 2, 2026, Waghmare stated, adding that the final list of candidates as well as the allotment of election symbols will be announced on January 3, 2026. This timeline has been set to ensure smooth conduct of polls and offer enough time for voters to get familiar with the candidates, Waghmare stated.
He stated that nomination forms for candidates must be submitted offline and not online, marking a shift from the trend of online submissions which could change how political parties and their candidates approach poll campaigning.
Waghmare stated that the elections will be held using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). He stated that nearly 11 lakh duplicate entries were detected in Mumbai’s electoral rolls during a verification exercise, adding that the BMC has developed a dedicated software system to identify and eliminate duplicate voter records.
He said that voters may verify their details through the Maharashtra State Election Commission’s official website, adding that the ‘Matadhikar’ smart phone application will be made available to voters to search and verify their names and details before the elections.
Waghmare stated that the elections will be held for 2,869 seats across 29 municipal corporations. Announcing the reservation break-up for these seats, he stated that 1,442 seats of a total of 2,869 seats have been reserved for women, while 341 seats have been reserved for Scheduled Castes, 77 seats have been reserved for Scheduled Tribes, and 759 seats have been reserved for Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
The total voter base is expected to grow by a significant 3.48 crore, which is likely to result in a higher voter turnout. In Mumbai (BMC) alone, there will be 10,111 polling stations, catering to a larger number of eligible voters. This increase in voter registration follows a decision by the Maharashtra State Election Commission to extend the deadlines for finalising voter lists in November 2025, giving authorities more time to carry out verifications and corrections.