BMC election: BJP, Shiv Sena reach agreement to fight 150 seats together

Mahayuti allies BJP and Shiv Sena person reached an knowing to jointly contention 150 of the 227 seats successful the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) canvass connected January 15, 2026, leaders of the 2 parties said connected Thursday.

“We person unanimously arrived astatine a statement connected 150 seats. Discussion connected 77 seats is pending. We volition marque a determination successful the adjacent 2 days,” said Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam aft holding a gathering implicit the seat-sharing statement with Maharashtra Industries Minister Uday Samant and different Shiv Sena leaders.

Reiterating that the 2 ruling allies volition combat the BMC predetermination unneurotic arsenic Mahayuti, Mr. Samant said, “We person held respective meetings. Today’s gathering was convened to sermon the strategy to contention the 150 finalised seats. If determination is simply a deadlock implicit organisation of the remaining 77 seats, past Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde volition marque a call.”

Firm basal connected Malik

Representatives from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the 3rd constituent of the Mahayuti, were not portion of the meeting. Both the Shiv Sena and the BJP person said the enactment led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar volition not beryllium included successful the talks if elder person Nawab Malik is overseeing its predetermination affairs successful Mumbai.

Mr. Malik was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate successful 2022 successful a wealth laundering lawsuit linked to the activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim.

Citing the “serious allegations” against Mr. Malik, the Mumbai BJP main said until the NCP hands implicit the work to different leader, it volition not beryllium made portion of the talks.

The objection to Mr. Malik has sparked speculation that the NCP is apt to name his girl and NCP legislator Sana Malik arsenic the enactment in-charge for the BMC election. “The NCP should either combat the predetermination unsocial oregon look for a caller alliance. The last determination volition beryllium made by Ajit dada,” Ms. Sana said.

However, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale’s Republican Party of India (A), an state of the National Democratic Alliance, is progressive successful the seat-sharing talks, which person intensified aft the State Election Commission connected December 15 announced elections to 29 municipal corporations, including the BMC.

The polls volition beryllium held successful a azygous signifier connected January 15 and the results volition beryllium declared connected January 16. As galore arsenic 2,869 seats are astatine play and 3.48 crore voters volition beryllium eligible to vote.