Mumbai: With 50% of the 227 seats reserved for women and parties also fielding women in open wards, female leadership is taking the spotlight in the BMC election 2026. In 2017, around 1,074 women contested and 132 won, while this year 879 women are contesting out of 1,700 candidates.
Shift in Numbers Since the 2017 Civic Polls
In the 2017 civic elections, the undivided Shiv Sena had fielded 126 women candidates, of whom 46 won, representing their wards for the next five years. But the party’s split into Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) and Eknath Shinde factions exposed deep fissures, with several elected women leaders defecting to Shinde’s camp and taking on UBT in direct electoral battles. Despite this setback, the UBT has reaffirmed its commitment to women’s leadership, fielding 99 women candidates in the current polls —16 of them contesting from wards reserved for open category, going head-to-head against male corporators from rival parties.
Congress Adopts a Measured Strategy in 2026
In the 2026 BMC elections, the BJP has fielded 76 women candidates out of 137, with 11 contesting from open-category wards, continuing its strategy of promoting women leaders. In the 2017 elections, the BJP had fielded 112 women candidates, of whom 44 were elected, showing a strong track record. The Congress, which had fielded 112 women out of 224 candidates in 2017 and won only 16 seats, has now put forward 66 women candidates out of 139 in 2026, signaling a cautious push to improve representation. Meanwhile, the Shinde-led Sena has given a significant opportunity to women, nominating 62 candidates out of 91 total contestants.
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