<p>Mumbai's description as Urbs Prima in Indus, or the first city of India, dates back to the 1800s, when it was the country's most populous and largest urban centre. Today, spread across 600 sq km and home to over 1.3 crore people, it remains the bustling financial and business capital of India. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Asia's richest civic body, commands a budget larger than that of several States. <em>DH</em> examines the importance of the upcoming BMC elections, being held after four years.</p>.<p><strong>Since when have BMC elections been due?</strong></p><p>The last five-year term of the BMC council, elected in 2017, ended on March 7, 2022. Since then, there has been no general body or mayor. The BMC Commissioner has been functioning as a State government-appointed administrator. Elections have been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and legal hurdles, including Bombay High Court cases on ward restructuring and petitions in the Supreme Court challenging the breach of the 50% reservation limit in local body polls.</p>.<p><strong>How large is the area under the BMC's jurisdiction?</strong></p><p>BMC jurisdiction spans 603.4 sq km across two districts — Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban. The BMC's jurisdiction covers 24 administrative wards, which include 227 municipal seats.</p>.<p><strong>What is the BMC budget? How does it compare with the States?</strong></p><p>Earlier this year, the BMC presented a budget of Rs 75,427 crore for 2025-26. Its total reserves stand at Rs 81,744.42 crore. This surpasses the annual budgets of Mizoram (Rs 15,043 crore), Sikkim (Rs 16,196 crore), Nagaland (Rs 24,699 crore), Manipur (Rs 29,988 crore), Meghalaya (Rs 30,003 crore), Tripura (Rs 32,423 crore) and Arunachal Pradesh (Rs 39,842 crore). It is also higher than the budgets of Goa (Rs 28,162 crore) and Himachal Pradesh (Rs 58,514 crore).</p>.<p><strong>Why are BMC polls nationally important?</strong></p><p>While the BMC elections mainly concern civic and infrastructure issues in <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/mumbai">Mumbai </a>and its suburbs, they are politically significant. Mumbai is seen as a bellwether, and electoral performance in the Maximum City often signals broader urban trends ahead of State and national polls.</p>.<p><strong>What has been Shiv Sena's record in the BMC?</strong></p><p>The undivided Shiv Sena, under the leadership of the late Balasaheb Thackeray and his son Uddhav Thackeray, commanded Mumbai for a quarter of a century. Looking at past elections, the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena consistently emerged as the largest party in the BMC: 1997 (103 seats), 2002 (97 seats), 2007 (84 seats), 2012 (75 seats) and 2017 (84 seats). Before Shiv Sena’s dominance, the Congress held influence in the civic body.</p>.<p><strong>What kind of alliances are expected in Mumbai?</strong></p><p>The BJP, which leads the Maha Yuti, is set to ally with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, with the NCP and RPI (Athawale) also part of the coalition. On the other hand, uncertainty persists within the Maha Vikas Aghadi. The Thackeray cousins — Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav and the MNS headed by Raj — are likely to forge an alliance. The Congress has announced it will contest alone, though there are chances of a tie-up with the NCP(SP). A clearer picture is expected to emerge within a week.</p>
<p>Mumbai's description as Urbs Prima in Indus, or the first city of India, dates back to the 1800s, when it was the country's most populous and largest urban centre. Today, spread across 600 sq km and home to over 1.3 crore people, it remains the bustling financial and business capital of India. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Asia's richest civic body, commands a budget larger than that of several States. <em>DH</em> examines the importance of the upcoming BMC elections, being held after four years.</p>.<p><strong>Since when have BMC elections been due?</strong></p><p>The last five-year term of the BMC council, elected in 2017, ended on March 7, 2022. Since then, there has been no general body or mayor. The BMC Commissioner has been functioning as a State government-appointed administrator. Elections have been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and legal hurdles, including Bombay High Court cases on ward restructuring and petitions in the Supreme Court challenging the breach of the 50% reservation limit in local body polls.</p>.<p><strong>How large is the area under the BMC's jurisdiction?</strong></p><p>BMC jurisdiction spans 603.4 sq km across two districts — Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban. The BMC's jurisdiction covers 24 administrative wards, which include 227 municipal seats.</p>.<p><strong>What is the BMC budget? How does it compare with the States?</strong></p><p>Earlier this year, the BMC presented a budget of Rs 75,427 crore for 2025-26. Its total reserves stand at Rs 81,744.42 crore. This surpasses the annual budgets of Mizoram (Rs 15,043 crore), Sikkim (Rs 16,196 crore), Nagaland (Rs 24,699 crore), Manipur (Rs 29,988 crore), Meghalaya (Rs 30,003 crore), Tripura (Rs 32,423 crore) and Arunachal Pradesh (Rs 39,842 crore). It is also higher than the budgets of Goa (Rs 28,162 crore) and Himachal Pradesh (Rs 58,514 crore).</p>.<p><strong>Why are BMC polls nationally important?</strong></p><p>While the BMC elections mainly concern civic and infrastructure issues in <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/mumbai">Mumbai </a>and its suburbs, they are politically significant. Mumbai is seen as a bellwether, and electoral performance in the Maximum City often signals broader urban trends ahead of State and national polls.</p>.<p><strong>What has been Shiv Sena's record in the BMC?</strong></p><p>The undivided Shiv Sena, under the leadership of the late Balasaheb Thackeray and his son Uddhav Thackeray, commanded Mumbai for a quarter of a century. Looking at past elections, the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena consistently emerged as the largest party in the BMC: 1997 (103 seats), 2002 (97 seats), 2007 (84 seats), 2012 (75 seats) and 2017 (84 seats). Before Shiv Sena’s dominance, the Congress held influence in the civic body.</p>.<p><strong>What kind of alliances are expected in Mumbai?</strong></p><p>The BJP, which leads the Maha Yuti, is set to ally with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, with the NCP and RPI (Athawale) also part of the coalition. On the other hand, uncertainty persists within the Maha Vikas Aghadi. The Thackeray cousins — Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav and the MNS headed by Raj — are likely to forge an alliance. The Congress has announced it will contest alone, though there are chances of a tie-up with the NCP(SP). A clearer picture is expected to emerge within a week.</p>