Rahul Gandhi Concedes Early in BMC Polls; Alleges Vote Theft, BJP Fires Back

Mumbai, January 16, 2026: The counting for over 200 municipal wards in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections began Friday morning at 10 AM. After an eight-year gap, the city is set to elect 227 corporators, who will in turn select a new mayor for India’s richest civic body.

Early trends indicate a strong lead for the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, prompting Congress to concede defeat. Senior Congress leader and MP Rahul Gandhi alleged that public trust in the electoral process is declining, accusing the BJP of vote manipulation. Gandhi took to X (formerly Twitter), stating, “The Election Commission misleading citizens is eroding faith in our democracy. Vote theft is an anti-national act.”

BJP Responds:
The BJP quickly fired back at Rahul Gandhi’s allegations. National spokesperson Shahzad Poonawala posted on X, calling Gandhi a “hereditary thief” and accusing him of spreading misinformation, just as he did during the Bihar elections. Poonawala criticized Congress for conceding defeat even before the counting process concluded.

Early Trends and Results:
According to preliminary postal ballot counts, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance is leading in approximately 52 wards. The BJP is ahead in 35 wards, while Shiv Sena (UBT) leads in 17. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), led by Raj Thackeray, is ahead in 8 wards. Congress trails with only 4 wards in the early count.

The State Election Commission (SEC) reported a voter turnout of 52.94% in these elections. Out of 1,03,44,315 registered voters, 54,76,043 cast their votes, including 29,23,433 men, 25,52,359 women, and 251 transgender voters.

Significance:
These elections mark a key civic exercise for Mumbai, as the city will get a new mayor nearly four years after the tenure of the last elected mayor, Kishori Pednekar, ended in March 2022. Exit polls had predicted a decisive victory for the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, with the Thackeray factions in second place and Congress failing to make a significant impact.

In the 2017 BMC elections, the undivided Shiv Sena won 84 of 227 seats. In alliance with the BJP, the coalition secured 114 seats, with the BJP itself winning 82 seats.