The counting for the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation elections is turning into a high-stakes thriller today, Friday, January 16, 2026. After a nine-year wait, the battle for Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur is finally being decided.1
The thing is, the Mahayuti alliance (BJP + Shinde Sena + Ajit Pawar NCP) has taken an early lead across most major corporations. Or nothing. Let’s be real, the BMC counting is where the real drama is—early trends show the BJP leading on over 63 seats, with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) putting up a massive fight in their traditional strongholds like Dadar and Worli. Those too.
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The “Civic Poll” Log: Field Notes
It’s an ongoing situation where the “split” in the Shiv Sena and NCP is being tested on the ground for the first time in a local election.
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The “Dadar” Duel: In Ward 182, Milind Vaidya (SS-UBT) has snatched a win.2 But right next door in Ward 183, the Congress’s Asha Kale pulled off a victory.3 The thing is, the opposition MVA isn’t fighting as a single block in many wards, which is giving the Mahayuti a clear path.
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Nagpur is a Sea of Saffron: In Nagpur, the home turf of CM Devendra Fadnavis, the BJP is absolutely dominant, leading in 74 out of 151 seats as of 1:00 PM.4 The thing is, Congress is a distant second with 22 leads.
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The “First” for AIMIM: And here’s the kicker—Mehzabin Khan just won Ward 134, marking AIMIM’s first-ever seat in the BMC.5 Those too.
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The “Pangarkar” Controversy: In Jalna, Shrikant Pangarkar (a journalist murder-accused) has reportedly won his seat.6 The thing is, it’s already sparking a massive political row over “criminalization” in local bodies.
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BMC 2026: Live Winner Snapshot (As of 1:40 PM)
| Ward No. | Winner | Party | Key Detail |
| 183 | Asha Deepak Kale | Congress | Massive win in Dharavi/Dadar belt. |
| 194 | Nishikant Shinde | SS (UBT) | Beat Shinde Sena’s Samadhan Sarwankar. |
| 134 | Mehzabin Khan | AIMIM | Party’s historic debut in the BMC. |
| 104 | Prakash Gangadhare | BJP | Retained stronghold with a huge margin. |
| 1 | Rekha Ram Yadav | SS (Shinde) | First win for the Shinde camp today. |
| 1357 | Navnath Ban8 | BJP9 | Won in the Mankhurd area.10 |
And Here’s the Kicker…
The BJP is currently projected to cross the 114-majority mark in the BMC with its allies. The thing is, if they take the Mayor’s bungalow, it will be the first time in nearly 30 years that a Thackeray hasn’t controlled the world’s richest civic body.
It’s an ongoing situation where allegations of “missing names” on voter lists are already flying. Sanjay Raut (SS-UBT) has claimed thousands of voters were deleted in MVA strongholds. The thing is, unless those complaints turn into a legal stay, the Mahayuti is looking at a “clean sweep” across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
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