Mumbai, January 15, 2026 – Bollywood superstar Salman Khan was among the early voters who cast their ballots in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections today. The actor was seen at a polling booth in Bandra, surrounded by heavy security, as he exercised his democratic right. Khan, after voting, also flaunted his inked finger, a symbol of having participated in the electoral process. He urged Mumbaikars to vote and uphold their democratic responsibility.
The BMC elections are being held across all 227 wards of Mumbai, with 114 seats reserved for women. Polling began at 7:30 AM and will continue until 5:30 PM. Over 25,000 police personnel have been deployed across the city to maintain law and order during the election. The State Election Commission (SEC) has declared January 15, 2026, a public holiday in the municipal corporation areas to encourage voter participation.
This year's BMC election is witnessing a high-stakes three-cornered fight between the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, the Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS alliance, and the Congress-VBA alliance. The undivided Shiv Sena held the majority in the BMC, the country's richest civic body, for 26 uninterrupted years. The last BMC election was held in 2017.
As of 3:30 PM, Mumbai recorded a voter turnout of 41.08%. According to the SEC, over 1.03 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots in the BMC elections across all 227 wards.
Besides Salman Khan, several other Bollywood celebrities, including Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Kartik Aryan, and Aamir Khan, were also spotted casting their votes.
The election has not been without its share of controversies. Videos circulating on social media allegedly showed voters using acetone to wipe off the indelible ink applied after voting. The SEC has launched an investigation into these claims. Raj Thackeray, President of the MNS, also accused the SEC of bias, alleging that the administration was being misused by the government.
The counting of votes is scheduled to begin at 10 AM on January 16, 2026. The results are expected to be declared later than usual due to the short gap between polling and counting.
The BMC elections are crucial as they determine the governance of India's richest civic body, with an annual budget of over ₹74,000 crore for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The control of BMC has been significant for the Thackeray family. This is the first BMC poll since the 2022 split in the Shiv Sena.
The 2026 BMC election is being held for 2,869 seats across 893 wards in the state. A total of 15,931 candidates are contesting, including 1,700 in Mumbai.
