BMC Elections 2026: Mahayuti Reaches Consensus On 207 Seats; Talks Continue On Remaining 20 As Nomination Deadline Nears

Mumbai: With just three days left for filing nomination papers for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, Mahayuti and MVA  parties are still locked in intense negotiations over seat sharing. In a major development, the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, key partners in the Mahayuti alliance, have reached a consensus on 207 seats after a series of meetings over the past two weeks.

About The Announcement Made By Mumbai BJP President Amit Satam

Following a seat-sharing meeting held on Saturday at Rangsharda Auditorium at Bandra, Mumbai BJP president Amit Satam announced that the BJP will contest 128 seats, while the Shiv Sena will contest 79 seats in the BMC elections. Discussions are still pending on the remaining 20 seats, which are expected to be finalised within the next two days. Satam said the decision on these seats would be taken after assessing the strength of candidates in respective wards. He also indicated that Mahayuti's first list of candidates would be released soon.

After the meeting at Rangsharda, leaders from the BJP and Shiv Sena proceeded to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s residence for further discussions. Talks with Shinde are underway to resolve the remaining 20 seats. BJP minister Ashish Shelar and Shiv Sena leaders Uday Samant and Rahul Shewale were present for the meeting.

Attacking the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Satam said the Mahayuti is fully prepared to defeat forces attempting to “change the colour of Mumbai.” He added that all alliance partners would be given respectable seat shares and that the focus was not on numbers but on collective victory. Satam also said joint rallies of the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Ministers would be held, with the campaign likely to begin from the 1st or 2nd day of next month.

Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) general secretary and MP Rahul Shewale said the alliance is focused on winning the BMC elections rather than individual party tallies. He stated that the Mahayuti has set a target of winning 150 seats in Mumbai and that candidate winnability would be the sole criterion. “If required, candidates will be exchanged between parties to ensure victory,” Shewale said, adding that both parties would receive a fair and respectable share of seats.

Demand Made By The Republican Sena

Meanwhile, the Republican Sena has demanded 17 seats in Mumbai as part of the alliance. Party chief Anandraj Ambedkar is reportedly firm on this demand. The Republican Sena has sought one seat each in Sion and Dharavi, eight seats in the Chembur–Kurla belt, and seven seats in the Mumbai suburban region from the Shiv Sena’s quota.

Satam also launched a sharp attack on Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and his son Aaditya Thackeray, accusing Uddhav of abandoning Balasaheb Thackeray’s Hindutva ideology and inducting “criminal-minded people” into his party. Targeting Aaditya Thackeray, Satam said there was no need to respond to him and remarked that “those born with a silver spoon should not teach us about Lord Ram.”

On the other hand, despite the announcement of an alliance between the Thackeray brothers, seat-sharing talks between the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS remain unresolved. Deadlocks persist in key constituencies such as Dadar-Mahim, Sewri, Vikhroli, Bhandup and Chandivali, where the MNS is demanding at least two to three seats each.

Following the alliance announcement, senior leaders of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS held a meeting at Matoshree, residence of Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday. After the meeting, MNS leaders returned to Shivtirtha, residence of Raj to hold further discussions with him, indicating that negotiations are still ongoing as the deadline for nominations draws closer.

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