BMC Elections 2026: Mumbai Sees 41.08% Voter Turnout Till 3:30 PM, Reveals Election Commission Data, ‘Erasable Ink’ Debate Heats Up Online

NSE MD & CEO Ashish Chauhan votes in BMC elections

Actor Saif Ali Khan and Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan cast their votes in the BMC polls.

Actress Mahima Chaudhry says, “There are a lot of booths…

Actor Salman Khan also casts votes

BMC says, “Under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation General Elections 2025–26, a letter regarding postal ballot papers sent to all candidates on 8 January 2026 by the Election Decision Officer–21 (Wards No. 200 to 206) was inadvertently circulated…

On civic body elections, State Election Commissioner Dinesh T. Waghmare

Fashion Designer Manish Malhotra arrives at a polling station in Mumbai to cast their votes for the BMC elections.

On BMC polls, Actor Saumya Tandon says,” I checked my polling booth address online and came here to Dalmia College. Now, I am being told that my polling centre is in Goregaon West. I don’t know why this confusion exists. I want to cast my vote as it is my right. I did not go on the shoot so that I could cast my vote…”

On the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Elections 2026, former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray said, “There are many places from where complaints are coming in. Some people’s names are missing from the voter list. For the first time, we are experiencing that the ink being applied can now be cleaned off. These people are creating all this mess, and that’s why I said, what does the Election Commission or the Commissioner do? Old EVM machines have been installed. There is so much greed in these people to gain power; I have never seen such a shameless government. We will protest now, all the people will protest… That’s why they want One Nation One Election, so that they can commit fraud and irregularities across the entire nation at the same time, and seize control of the entire country… So, all of this is a blatant murder of democracy.”

Film Producer Boney Kapoor shows his inked finger after casting his vote for the BMC elections.

He says, “… The authorities have provided a very good experience. I salute tp everyone who comes and casts their votes. Maybe as the day grows, there will be more and more people coming to cast their votes…”

Actor Milind Gunaji shows his inked finger after casting his vote in the BMC elections.

Actor Shraddha Kapoor shows her inked finger after casting her vote in the BMC elections.

Film director Rakesh Roshan casts his vote at a polling station for BMC elections.

Veteran actor and film producer Salim Khan casts his vote at a polling station for BMC elections.

On MNS chief Raj Thackeray’s statement, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis says, “I have also been marked with a marker, is it erasing? The Election Commission should look into this issue and use something else, they can use oil paint if they want, the elections should be impartial. But creating a ruckus on everything and raising questions is very wrong.”

Former Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, along with his family, including MP Pranitii Shinde, casts a vote in Solapur for the Maharashtra local body elections.

Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray, his wife Rashmi Thackeray and leader Aaditya Thackeray arrives at a polling station in Mumbai to cast their votes for the BMC elections.

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and his family show their inked fingers after casting their vote for the Maharashtra local body elections.

MNS chief Raj Thackeray, along with his family, arrives at a polling station in Mumbai to cast his vote for the BMC elections.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari shows his inked finger after casting his vote at a polling station in Nagpur for Maharashtra local body polls.

Actor Junaid Khan and his family show their inked finger after casting their vote for the BMC elections. Actor Junaid Khan says, “Please come and vote, it is very important and everyone should come and vote.”

After casting his vote for the BMC elections, Actor Nana Patekar says, “… I understand that the sign of my existence is to vote and for this I travelled 3-4 hours (from Pune) and I am returning immediately. So please do vote.”

Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar shows his inked finger after casting his vote for the BMC elections.

He says, “This is a very important election. It gives us a chance where we can express our opinion through votes. Everyone should come out and cast their votes…”

Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar arrives at a polling station in Mumbai to cast his vote for the BMC elections.

Former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Prakash Javdekar casts his vote at a polling booth in Balshikshan School, Pune, for Maharashtra local body elections.

Maharashtra Minister Ashish Shelar shows his inked finger after casting his vote for BMC elections. 

He says, “It’s the most crucial election for the development of Mumbai and a budget of over Rs 40,000 crore. We have to make our city a developed Mumbai. I appeal to the voters to come out in large numbers… You have the opportunity to teach a lesson to the corrupt party of Thackeray… The Mumbaikars have decided to vote for Viksit Maharashtra under the leadership of Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde.”

He further said, “This is a matter of who will develop Mumbai and how… They (opposition) tried to link the elections with language and sentiments in 2014 and 2017, and Uddhav Thackeray faced defeat both times. This time as well, Mahayuti will be victorious…”

Voting started across 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra on Thursday morning, January 15, 2026, with Mumbai emerging as the key battleground. The contest for control of the country’s largest and wealthiest civic body has intensified, as the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance faces off against the reunited Thackeray cousins.

Voting started at 7.30 a.m. under strict security arrangements and will continue until 5.30 p.m. The elections cover 2,869 seats across 893 wards, with 3.48 crore voters eligible to cast their ballots to determine the political future of 15,931 candidates.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday described voting as a citizen’s foremost responsibility after he cast his vote in Nagpur during the Maharashtra civic body elections 2026.

Emphasising the importance of participation in a democracy, Bhagwat said electing a government requires active involvement from citizens. He urged voters to exercise their franchise with a balanced mindset and with the welfare of society in mind. Calling voting the “first duty of the day,” he said this was the reason he made it a priority to arrive early, stand in the queue, and cast his vote, according to agencies.

Two brothers and Shiv Sena candidates, Nitin Patil and Ravi Patil, were taken into custody after police registered an attempt-to-murder case in connection with a violent confrontation between Shiv Sena and BJP workers in Dombivli. The clash resulted in serious injuries to the husband of BJP candidate Arya Natekar.

A disturbing incident was reported from Nagpur late on the night ahead of polling, where BJP candidate Bhushan Shingane was allegedly attacked in what is being described as an attempt on his life. Shingane, who is contesting from Ward No. 11 on a BJP ticket, was targeted just hours before voting was to take place.

BMC Election 2026 LIVE: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is leading the campaign for the BJP-led Mahayuti, has predicted that MNS leader Raj Thackeray will emerge as the biggest loser in an alliance with his cousin and Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray.

BMC Election 2026 LIVE: Mumbai Police have stepped up security arrangements ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections scheduled for Thursday. Voting will be held from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm across the city.

Police personnel have set up barricades at key locations and are conducting checks on vehicles to maintain law and order during polling. Security has been intensified to ensure a peaceful and smooth voting process.