Mumbai: After nearly three years without an elected civic house, Mumbai is set to vote on Thursday as polling for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) takes place across the city. The election is being closely watched, not only because the BMC is India’s wealthiest municipal body, but also due to the intense political contest shaping up across key urban pockets.
Polling will be conducted in all 227 civic wards between 7:30 am and 5:30 pm. Election officials have confirmed that vote counting will take place the following day, Friday, with results expected to emerge in phases.
The State Election Commission has clarified that voters are not required to carry only the traditional voter photo identity card. Citizens can cast their vote by presenting any one of the 12 officially approved photo identity documents at polling booths. The move is aimed at ensuring maximum voter participation and preventing exclusion due to lack of a physical voter ID.
Municipal Commissioner and District Election Officer Bhushan Gagrani said that identity verification at polling stations will be strictly enforced, but flexibility has been provided through multiple government-recognised documents. These include passports, Aadhaar cards, driving licences, PAN cards, bank or post office passbooks with photographs, disability certificates, MGNREGA job cards, pension documents with photos, official IDs of MPs and MLAs, freedom fighter identity cards, and photo-based health insurance cards issued by the Union Labour Ministry.
The scale of the contest is significant. Around 1,700 candidates are in the fray for 227 corporator posts, making this one of the most competitive civic elections in recent years. To form power in the BMC, a party or alliance must secure at least 114 seats. Nearly 92 wards fall under the general category, with no reservation, primarily located in South Mumbai, the Western Suburbs, and parts of Central Mumbai—areas known for tight electoral battles.
According to official data, over 1.03 crore voters are eligible to vote in this election. The electorate includes more than 55 lakh male voters, over 48 lakh female voters, and more than a thousand voters registered under the ‘Other’ category.
