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New Delhi: The high-stakes civic polls in Maharashtra are underway across 29 municipal corporations with a political focus on Mumbai, which goes to polls for the first time since 2017. Voting is underway in the city to elect a new general body of the of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The last BMC elections were held in 2017 while the tenure of the BMC ended in March 2022.
Voting began at 7.30 am and will conclude at 5.30 pm, while counting of votes will be held on January 16. A total of 3.48 crore voters are eligible to decide the fate of 15,931 candidates.
The civic polls in Mumbai are seen as a crucial battle between the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance and the reunited Thackeray cousins as they seek to take control of India's largest and richest civic body.
Survival test for Thackeray cousins
The civic polls in the state are being seen as an opportunity for the Thackeray cousins -- Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray and MNS' Raj Thackeray -- who have come together after 20 years for the municipal elections and ensure their political survival. For over two decades, the undivided Shiv Sena dominated the BMC.
Litmus test for Mahayuti
The civic polls are also viewed as a litmus test ahead of the 2029 Assembly elections, with multiple parties that witnessed a split now hoping to reclaim power. They are also seen as a chance for Eknath Shinde, who parted ways with Uddhav Thackeray in June 2022, to rebuild his position that he has apparently lost to the BJP. The BJP, which won 82 seats in the last polls, is seeking a bigger win this time. The BJP is contesting 137 of the 227 seats while the Shinde-led Sena is contesting the remaining 90 seats.
Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction is fighting the polls alone after a political differences with ally BJP over corruption-accused Nawab Malik.
The counting of votes will start at 10 am on January 16. The election results, for several parties, will determine political relevance, identity and long-term survival in Mumbai.
