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

Mahayuti allies BJP and Shiv Sena have reached an understanding to jointly contest 150 of the 227 seats in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) poll on January 15, 2026, leaders of the two parties said on Thursday.

“We have unanimously arrived at a consensus on 150 seats. Discussion on 77 seats is pending. We will make a decision in the next two days,” said Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam after holding a meeting over the seat-sharing arrangement with Maharashtra Industries Minister Uday Samant and other Shiv Sena leaders.

Reiterating that the two ruling allies will fight the BMC election together as Mahayuti, Mr. Samant said, “We have held several meetings. Today’s meeting was convened to discuss the strategy to contest the 150 finalised seats. If there is a deadlock over distribution of the remaining 77 seats, then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde will make a call.”

Firm stand on Malik

Representatives from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the third constituent of the Mahayuti, were not part of the meeting. Both the Shiv Sena and the BJP have said the party led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will not be included in the talks if senior leader Nawab Malik is overseeing its election affairs in Mumbai.

Mr. Malik was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in 2022 in a money laundering case linked to the activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim.

Citing the “serious allegations” against Mr. Malik, the Mumbai BJP chief said until the NCP hands over the responsibility to another leader, it will not be made part of the talks.

The objection to Mr. Malik has sparked speculation that the NCP is likely to appoint his daughter and NCP legislator Sana Malik as the party in-charge for the BMC election. “The NCP should either fight the election alone or look for a new alliance. The final decision will be made by Ajit dada,” Ms. Sana said.

However, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale’s Republican Party of India (A), an ally of the National Democratic Alliance, is involved in the seat-sharing talks, which have intensified after the State Election Commission on December 15 announced elections to 29 municipal corporations, including the BMC.

The polls will be held in a single phase on January 15 and the results will be declared on January 16. As many as 2,869 seats are at play and 3.48 crore voters will be eligible to vote.