Mumbai, Jan 17: While heavyweight contenders have crashed unexpectedly, sidelined veterans are storming back into the fray, turning the 2026 BMC election into a brutal test of survival rather than popularity.
For the battle over the country’s richest corporation, major political parties largely fielded familiar faces: corporators elected in 2017 or their spouses, children and close relatives.
The strategy has paid off handsomely, with more than 80 former corporators reclaiming their seats or seeing their kin win, keeping the bastion firmly in the hands of both the party and the family. Yet even some heavyweight contenders stumbled, losing their seats and watching hard-won strongholds slip through their fingers.
Lost the battle
Raja, who joined the BJP after being denied a Congress ticket and was appointed Mumbai vice-president, could not contest his traditional F-North bastion due to reservation rules and faced a different voter base in Dharavi (Ward 185).
Similarly, Yogiraj Dabhadkar, who had defeated veteran Shiv Sena leader Yashodhar Phanse in the last election, was defeated by Phanse this time from the same Versova ward (Ward 59).
Other former corporators who failed to make a comeback include Sheetal Mhatre from Dahisar (Congress) and Rajul Patel from Shiv Sena (Shinde), with Patel, a loyalist of the undivided Shiv Sena, having joined the Shinde Sena last year. BJP’s BMC deputy leader Vinod Mishra and Ujwala Modak also suffered defeats.
Grand comeback
This election has also marked a comeback for several former corporators. Yashodhar Phanse, once a prominent leader in the undivided Shiv Sena, lost in the previous election but has now returned to office with a win.
Similarly, Yamini Jadhav, a former MLA who had lost both the last Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections, found success this time. She contested from Ward No. 209 and defeated Congress candidate Rafiya Damodi by a margin of 1,490 votes.
Ajit Raorane, the sole NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) candidate, won Ward No. 43, defeating BJP’s Vinod Mishra by 495 votes. Raorane, a three-term corporator, had lost to Mishra in the previous election.
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Dnyanraj Nikam, former Opposition leader of the BMC, could not contest in the last election as the ward was reserved for women. His daughter, Nikita Nikam, contested and won in 2017, enabling him to make a comeback in Ward No. 223.
Other former corporators making a return include BJP’s Chandan Sharma, Shiva Shetty and Ashwini Mate.
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