To ensure that the enlisted voters cast their votes within their ward demarcation, officials said the number of polling stations has been increased ahead of the upcoming civic polls. (File photo)
Mumbai is poised to have 10,300 polling stations in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections. According to senior civic officials, this marks a jump of 189 stations from the Vidhan Sabha polls when people cast their votes across 10,111 polling stations.
As per the final prabhag-wise voter’s list published by the BMC in mid-December, the city has an electorate of 10.34 lakh voters across 227 electoral wards.
To ensure that the enlisted voters cast their votes within their ward demarcation, officials said the number of polling stations has been increased ahead of the upcoming civic polls. With the number of polling stations increased to 10,300, each station is likely to cater to an average of 1,000 voters. Of the total polling centres, officials said that at least 700 stations have been arranged within residential complexes.
“The Assembly constituency is not congruent with the prabhags. Since there is a clear demarcation in the prabhag boundaries, the prabhags should ideally vote within their own wards,” said a senior official, adding that in keeping with the norms stipulated by the Election commission of India, voters will not be allowed to carry mobile phones within the polling booths.
On Friday, officials from the BMC said they had concluded their massive door-to-door verification of duplicate voters. Of the 11.01 lakh total entries which were suspected to be duplicate entries, senior officials said only 15 percent or 1.68 entries were genuine duplicate entries. Data furnished showed that the BMC visited homes of at least 1.28 lakh voters of which 48,628 voters filled and received annexure-01 while 78,105 voters refused to fill annexures or were found to be non-existent.
With the civic polls slated for January 15, 2026, the BMC is set to conduct training of staffers roped in for election duty between December 29 to January 5. During the course of meeting, the staff will be imparted training on the code of conduct, voting, counting process as well as action to be taken in emergency situations. In case of absence, officials said the civic body will take criminal action against the officers who fail to attend training sessions.
Nayonika Bose is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express’ Mumbai bureau. While in the early stages of her career, her focused reporting on local governance and community welfare already demonstrates clear Expertise and Trustworthiness in covering essential civic issues impacting Mumbai's residents.
Expertise & Authority (E-E-A-T)
Specialized Focus: Nayonika's reporting is dedicated to civic and community issues, providing readers with highly relevant, ground-level information about the functionality and administration of India's largest metropolitan area.
Core Coverage Areas: Her articles highlight a strong focus on the fundamental quality of life and public safety in Mumbai, including:
Civic Infrastructure: Reports on critical failures and initiatives related to public works, such as the recurring problem of unauthorized building collapses in Navi Mumbai, the construction of new infrastructure projects (like the Dahisar-Bhayandar Link Road and the Mahalaxmi cable-stayed bridge), and the maintenance of essential city services (e.g., manhole cover theft).
Urban Governance & Crisis Management: Provides detailed coverage of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) response to major crises, particularly during the monsoon (e.g., heavy rainfall, water cuts, and public health concerns like dengue and malaria) and large-scale public safety incidents (e.g., the hoarding collapse fallout).
Community Welfare & Rights: Reports on key social issues, including the financial aid scheme for persons with disabilities, the struggles of Mumbai's hawkers protesting eviction drives, and the dangers faced by workers due to the continuation of manual scavenging in water tanks.
Cultural & Heritage Reporting: Covers significant community stories, including the restoration of British-era fountains and the history of institutions like the 126-year-old Chinchpokli cemetery, showing a breadth of interest beyond pure administration.
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