Maharashtra is basically one giant polling booth today, Thursday, January 15, 2026.1 After years of court cases and delays, 29 municipal corporations—including the “crown jewel,” the BMC—are finally voting.2
The thing is, the voter turnout was a bit sluggish this morning. Or nothing. Let’s be real, a 17.73% turnout by 11:30 AM isn’t exactly a stampede, even with the public holiday. Those too. But the energy in Mumbai is different. You’ve got 25,000 cops on the streets and a budget of ₹74,400 crore at stake.3 It’s an ongoing situation where this isn’t just about trash collection or potholes; it’s a war for the “soul” of the Shiv Sena.
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The “Civic Poll” Field Notes: Jan 15, 2026
It’s an ongoing situation where the alliances are so messy even the voters are scratching their heads.
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The “Reunited” Cousins: For the first time in twenty years, Uddhav and Raj Thackeray are essentially on the same team.4 The thing is, they’re trying to consolidate the “Marathi Manoos” vote to stop the BJP-Shinde juggernaut.5
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The “Friendly” Fights: In about 15 wards, the alliances have completely broken down. The thing is, you have “Mahayuti” partners (BJP vs. Shinde Sena) actually fighting each other for the same seat. And here’s the kicker—it might actually help the opposition if the votes get split too thin.
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The Congress “Solo” Act: In a weird twist, the Congress decided to step out of the MVA shadow in Mumbai.6 They’ve teamed up with Prakash Ambedkar’s VBA.7 The thing is, they’re hoping to pick up the Dalit and minority votes that feel “cringe” about the Thackeray-MNS combo.
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Celebrity Sightings: Akshay Kumar was one of the first at the booths at 7:30 AM.8 The thing is, the Kala Nagar booth in Bandra East was a circus when the entire Thackeray family showed up to vote.9
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Maharashtra Battleground Snapshot: Jan 15, 2026
| City/Corporation | Voter Turnout (11:30 AM) | Key Battle |
| Mumbai (BMC) | ~17.5% | Thackeray Duo vs. BJP-Shinde |
| Pune (PMC) | ~18.2% | Development vs. Local Alliances |
| Nagpur (NMC) | ~19.1% | BJP’s “Home Ground” Defense |
| Thane (TMC)10 | ~16.8%11 | Shinde’s Personal Stronghold12 |
And Here’s the Kicker…
Except for Mumbai, every other city is using multi-member wards.13 The thing is, you aren’t just voting for one person; you’re voting for a panel. It makes the math incredibly complicated.
It’s an ongoing situation where the counting starts at 10:00 AM tomorrow, Friday, January 16.14 We’ll know by tomorrow evening if Mumbai stays with the Thackerays or if the Shinde-Fadnavis engine finally takes the “Holy Grail.”
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End…
