In a crucial development towards long-pending BMC elections, expected to be held in January 2026, the lottery determining reservation of wards for Scheduled Caste (SC), Schedule Tribe (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Women candidates was drawn on Tuesday. This has not only cleared the path for the political parties to finalise their candidates but will carve out the poll strategies and campaigns. Mumbai has a total of 227 civic electoral wards, of which 50% are reserved for women candidates, including SC, ST and OBC.
Ward-Wise Reservation Breakdown
A total of 15 wards are reserved for SC, out of which 8 wards are reserved for SC women candidates. While two wards are reserved for ST, out of one is reservation for ST woman candidate. Total 61 wards in Mumbai are reserved for OBCs, including 31 women OBC candidates. While 149 wards are reserved for general category candidates, including 74 women candidates from general category.
Lottery Draw Conducted in Bandra
As the administration gears up for holding the much-anticipated BMC elections, reservation of wards is seen as the second most important step after finalising the ward boundaries. The reservation lottery was drawn by hands of school children in jam-packed Balgandharva Rangmandir, Bandra West, in the presence of BMC Commissioner and administrator Bhushan Gagrani, election department officials and hundreds of citizens watching the live broadcast out the hall as well as on YouTube.
After the BMC administration submits the lottery results to the state election commission, the draft ward reservation list will be published on November 14 and citizens can submit their suggestions/objections from November 14 to 20, following which the final ward reservation will be published on November 28.
First Election Under New Rotation Framework
Notably, this will be the first election under the new reservation rotation framework announced by the state urban development department last month. As per the fresh rules, the wards with the highest population of SC and ST were prioritised for reservation. Political observers say that the move by the state government also carries political weight and can potentially change the civic electoral map of Mumbai, as the parties with strong support from specific communities may benefit in the wards where they already have a strong voter base.
BMC Functioning Without Elected Representatives
The last BMC polls were held in February 2017 and the corporators term ended in 2022. Since then, for the first time in the history of 152 years old BMC, the richest civic body of India with the annual budget of Rs 74,000 crore, is running without elected representatives.
The draw on Tuesday has changed the status of several heavyweight seats, which were in general category in 2017 but are reserved for OBC for the upcoming polls, such as (Identifying major players like Tejaswi Ghosalkar, Ravi Raja, Asif Zakaria, Harshita Narwekar etc).
Legal and Political Background
In 2022, when the BMC elections were originally slated, the then Uddhav Thackeray-led government had revised the ward list and added nine new wards in Mumbai. Out of the 236 wards, 110 wards were left open for all categories, 15 seats for Scheduled castes, 2 for scheduled tribes and 109 for women in all categories. However, after the split in the Shiv Sena, which led to the toppling of the MVA government, the subsequent Eknath Shinde-led government revoked the delimitation order. The decision was challenged in the court, thereby delaying the elections.
In May this year, the Supreme Court cleared the decks for holding elections of 29 local bodies in Maharashtra, including the BMC. It directed to continue the OBC reservation in the local body polls as it existed before 2022 and number of wards also remained unchanged. As the 2021 population census was not conducted, the demarcation of wards also did not change as 2011 census was considered- similar to that of 2017 civic polls.
Political Context
In the 2017 BMC elections, the undivided Shiv Sena led with 84 seats, followed by the BJP with 82 seats, Congress (31), NCP (9), MNS (7) and independents 14. However, with the split in the Shiv Sena and NCP, the political dynamics have changed.
Wards Reserved for OBCs (Including OBC Women Candidates):
1 (Ganpat Nagar – Dahisar)
4 (Ekta Nagar, Rawalpada – Borivli)
6 (Ovariwada – Dahisar)
10 (Govind Nagar, Eksar – Borivli)
11 (Daulat Nagar – Dahisar)
12 (Kulupwadi, Tata Power House – Dahisar)
13 (Sukurwadi, Dattapada – Borivli)
18 (Charkop Sectors 4, 5, 9)
19 (Charkop Sector 1 and Gaon)
27 (Narsipada, Lokhandwala Township, MHADA Colony – Kandivli)
32 (Jankalyan Nagar, Manori – Malad)
33 (Azad Nagar, Marve – Malad)
41 (Santosh Nagar, Nagari Nivara – Goregaon East)
45 (Dhobighat, Lower Govind Nagar – Malad East)
46 (Navy Nagar, Somwar Bazar, Chincholi Bunder – Malad)
49 (Madh Island)
50 (Bangur Nagar, Sunder Nagar – Goregaon West)
52 (Gokuldham, Ram Nagar – Goregaon East)
63 (Veera Desai Industrial Estate, Sahakar Nagar – Andheri West)
69 (Juhu Tara, Vallabh Nagar – Juhu)
70 (Irla, Mithibai College – Vile Parle West)
72 (Natwar Nagar, Bandrekarwadi – Jogeshwari)
76 (SEEPZ, Marol Industrial Estate – Marol)
80 (Parsi Colony, Azad Nagar – Andheri)
82 (AAI Colony, Sahar)
85 (Dahanukar College – Vile Parle)
87 (Hanuman Tekdi, VN Desai Hospital – Santacruz)
91 (Vidyanagari, Yeshwant Nagar – Kalina)
95 (Kherwadi, Govt Technical College – Bandra East)
100 (Pali Village, Union Park – Khar)
105 (Gavanpada, Ambedkar Nagar – Mulund)
108 (Rahul Nagar, Hanumanpada – Bhandup)
111 (Bhavani Nagar, Tata Nagar – Kanjur Marg)
113 (Milind Nagar, Gaodevi – Bhandup West)
117 (Kanjur Village, Indira Nagar – Kanjur Marg)
128 (Barvenagar, Kajupada – Ghatkopar)
129 (Chirag Nagar, Maneklal Estate – Ghatkopar West)
130 (Kapolewadi – Ghatkopar West)
135 (Ramabai Nagar, Chikoowadi – Mankhurd)
136 (Adarsh Nagar Phase II, Shivaji Nagar Terminus – Govandi)
137 (Shivaji Nagar, Noor-e-Ilahi Masjid – Govandi)
138 (Ramanmama Nagar Phase I – Mankhurd)
150 (Garib Janata Nagar, Rahul Nagar – Chembur West)
153 (Ghatla, Basant Nagar – Chembur East)
158 (MHADA Colony – Tilak Nagar)
167 (Vinoba Bhave Nagar, Bamanwadi – Kurla)
170 (GTB Nagar, Everard Nagar – Chunabhatti)
171 (Chunabhatti – Sion)
176 (Indira Nagar, LTMG Hospital – Sion)
182 (Mahim Koliwada – Mahim)
187 (Dharavi Village, Navrang Compound – Dharavi)
191 (Siddhivinayak Temple – Shivaji Park)
193 (Worli Village – Prabhadevi)
195 (BDD Chawls – Worli)
198 (Mafatlal Mill, W. Rly Workshop – Parel)
208 (Jijamata Udyan, Thakkar Estate – Byculla)
216 (Dalal Estate, Navjivan Society – Grant Road)
219 (Malabar Hill)
222 (Thakurwadi – Dhobitalao)
223 (Wadi Bandur, Princess Dock – Masjid Bunder)
226 (Macchimar Nagar – Nariman Point)
Wards Reserved for STs (Including ST Women Candidates):
53 (Aarey Colony, Film City – Goregaon East)
121 (Paspoli – Powai)
Wards Reserved for SCs (Including SC Women Candidates):
23 (Janata Nagar – Poisar)
93 (MIG Colony, Ambedkar Udyan – Bandra East)
118 (Kannamwar Nagar, Tagore Nagar – Vikhroli East)
133 (Kamraj Nagar, Ramabai Colony – Ghatkopar East)
140 (Gautam Nagar, Slaughter House – Deonar)
141 (Annabhau Sathe Nagar, Zakir Nagar – Mankhurd)
143 (Maharashtra Nagar, Cheetah Camp – Trombay)
147 (RCF Colony, Tata Colony – Chembur East)
151 (Sahakar Nagar, Thakkar Bapa Colony – Chembur)
152 (Postal Colony, Gaothan – Chembur East)
155 (Mysore Colony, Suman Nagar – Chembur East)
186 (Dharavi Village East – Dharavi)
183 (Dharavi Depot, Naik Nagar – Dharavi)
189 (Hanuman Nagar, Labour Camp – Matunga West)
215 (Wellington Sports Club, Tulsiwadi – Tardeo)
