BMC poll 2026: Sena (UBT) leads in around 60 seats, far outperforming Eknath Shinde-led Sena’s 26, trends indicate

Although the combined tally of the BJP and the Shiv Sena appeared to have crossed the halfway mark of 114 needed to form the BMC government, the poor showing of the Shinde Sena has raised questions about its support base in the city. The results may also weaken its effort to justify the split from the Uddhav-led party and its claims over the political legacy of Sena founder Bal Thackeray.

The Sena (UBT)’s strong performance in Mumbai, however, suggests that a large section of traditional Sena voters in the city continues to back Uddhav Thackeray.

A total of 1,700 candidates contested for 227 seats in the election to the BMC, which is the country’s richest civic body with an annual budget of over Rs 74,400 crore. Mumbai recorded an overall voter turnout of 52.94 per cent in the polling held on Thursday — the second highest turnout the city has seen in the last 32 years. According to the civic body’s data, the highest turnout was 55.28 per cent, reported in 2017, before which it was 49.14 per cent, as recorded in the 1992 polls.

The BMC was among the 29 municipal corporations that voted in Maharashtra on Thursday in the first such elections held in the state since 2017.