25.27 pc fewer candidates, more women than men in fray in Mumbai civic polls compared to 2017

Mumbai, Jan 5 (PTI) There has been a more than 25 per cent drop in the number of candidates in the fray for the January 15 elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), over the previous polls in 2017, but more women than men are in the ring this time around.

A total of 1,700 candidates -- 879 women and 821 men -- are vying for 227 seats in India's largest and richest civic body. Notably, there is no transgender candidate in the fray this time.

The number of contestants in 2026 marks a decline of 25.27 per cent from the 2,275 candidates who fought the civic polls in February 2017. At that time, a total of 1,190 males, 1,084 females and one transgender candidate had contested the elections.

According to political commentators, the decline in the number of candidates is mainly due to two factors -- alliances among major political parties and a reduced number of independents in the election fray.

Abhay Deshpande, senior journalist and political commentator, told PTI that all political parties, including the BJP and the undivided Shiv Sena, had contested the Mumbai civic polls separately in 2017, but this time a majority of them have forged alliances.

Most independents have stayed away from elections which have become a costly affair over the years, he noted.

"As contesting elections has become expensive, the number of independent candidates has declined," Deshpande added.

In Mumbai, Mahayuti partners BJP and Shiv Sena are contesting in an alliance, although another constituent of Maharashtra's ruling bloc, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), is fighting separately.

Similarly, barring the Congress, other Maha Vikas Aghadi constituents Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP (SP) have joined hands for the polls. The Shiv Sena (UBT) has also entered into a pre-poll tie-up with Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).

Civic polls in India's financial capital are being held after a delay of nearly four years to gain control of the BMC, whose budget for 2025-26 stood at over Rs 74,000 crore, more than that of several smaller states in the country.

The last civic polls in Mumbai were held in February 2017, and the new general body of the BMC came into existence on March 8, 2017.

The term of the corporators elected then ended on March 7, 2022. Since then, the BMC is being run by a Maharashtra government-appointed administrator (the municipal commissioner is holding that post), who oversees day-to-day functioning of the country's richest civic body.

Interestingly, while 11,381 nomination forms were distributed from December 23 onwards, only 2,516 nominations were filed by the December 30 deadline. Scrutiny of nomination papers was conducted on December 31, during which 164 forms were rejected as invalid and 2,185 were declared valid, according to the civic body.

After 453 candidates withdrew their nominations by the January 2 deadline, 1,700 candidates were left in the fray.

Counting of votes will take place on January 16.

Due to the lower number of candidates, a few of the 227 wards are witnessing two-cornered contest. Several wards, however, are locked in multi-cornered fight. PTI KK RSY