Mumbai: After a nearly four-year gap without an elected civic body, Mumbai witnessed an enthusiastic start to polling for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Elections 2026 on Thursday morning, with senior citizens leading the way. Even before the official polling time of 7:30 am, long queues were seen outside several polling stations across the city’s 227 wards, with a noticeable presence of elderly voters determined to exercise their franchise early.
Several videos circulating on social media showed senior citizens arriving at polling booths with walking sticks, family support and visible determination. At Pahadi School in Mumbai, 91-year-old BJP leader and former Maharashtra Governor Ram Naik was among the early voters. Speaking after casting his vote, Naik said voting early had always been his personal practice. “As a party leader, going early helps me observe the arrangements, meet polling staff and understand how smoothly the process is being conducted,” he said.
In another moving scene, an 83-year-old woman was seen arriving at a polling station to cast her vote, while another elderly woman walked in with support, drawing appreciation from fellow voters and polling staff. At Dadar’s Balmohan School polling booth, senior citizens expressed happiness at being able to vote early. “We feel joy in coming early to cast our vote,” said one elderly voter, while another explained that they had come straight from their morning walk to the polling station.
The strong turnout of senior citizens in the early hours highlighted the civic enthusiasm surrounding the high-stakes BMC elections, often described as a ‘mini-assembly’ election due to the civic body’s big budget and its key political influence. These are also the first municipal polls since the splits in the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), adding to their political importance.
With a public holiday declared across Mumbai, the State Election Commission is hopeful of a high turnout among the city’s 1.03 crore eligible voters. To ensure smooth and peaceful polling, Mumbai Police have deployed more than 28,000 personnel, including State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) units and Quick Response Teams (QRTs), across 10,231 polling stations.
Voting will continue till 5:30 pm, with election officials urging citizens of all age groups to follow the example set by the city’s elderly voters and participate actively in the democratic process.
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