Mumbai Municipal Corporation Elections 2025: 227 wards permanent? Reservation, lottery, election dates — all the information here!

Source: Marathi Jagran

 

BMC Elections: There is a strong possibility that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections will be announced soon. According to the BMC’s election department, the upcoming election is expected to be held across 227 electoral wards. As per a municipal officer, the ward delimitation and reservation process will be carried out through a lottery system, and the overall election procedure will begin shortly.

 

During the tenure of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government (2019–2022), a decision was made to increase the number of wards in Mumbai from 227 to 236. However, this decision is currently sub judice, and the final outcome depends on the court’s verdict. On May 6, the Supreme Court issued a directive to the state government to initiate pending local body elections. In view of the ongoing case regarding OBC reservation, the court instructed the government to issue the election notification within four weeks.

 

The State Election Commission (SEC) has instructed officers from the BMC and other municipal bodies to begin preparations for the elections. A senior officer from BMC’s election department clarify that the process will begin with ward boundary redefinition and a lottery for reservation categories. Current updates suggest that the number of wards is likely to remain at 227.

 

When asked whether the ward count might be increased again, the official responded that the Supreme Court’s directive mandates that elections be conducted based on the pre-2022 structure. Although the directive primarily pertains to OBC reservation, it also impacts ward delimitation and total count.

 

The five-year term of the BMC corporators ended on March 7, 2022. Since then, the BMC administration has been functioning under the supervision of a state-appointed administrator. In 2022, the MVA government had approved the increase in the number of wards to 236. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party objected to the decision and said that the wards should be redrawn only after the new census.

 

In the previous BMC elections held in 2017, the Shiv Sena emerged as the leading party, winning 84 seats, thereby retaining control of the corporation. The BJP won 82 seats, and the Congress secured 31 seats. Out of the seven corporators from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), six later joined the Shiv Sena. Following the 2022 split in the Shiv Sena, about 26 former corporators aligned with the faction led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

 

Now, once again, the attention of Mumbai's citizens is fixed on the BMC elections, which are expected to play a crucial role in shaping the future of the city. The outcome of this election will be closely watched to see which party secures control over India's richest municipal body.