Overview
- Polling runs on January 15 from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm with counting on January 16, when trends are expected from 8:00 am.
- In Mumbai’s BMC race, 227 seats are at stake with 114 needed for a majority, about 1.03 crore voters are eligible, and roughly 1,700 candidates are contesting.
- EVMs and election materials have been moved from civic godowns to polling sites, mock polls are slated for early Thursday, and officials are on a near 72-hour operations schedule.
- Voters must show a Voter ID or one of 12 accepted photo IDs, will verify their choice via VVPAT, may select NOTA, and cannot use mobile phones or electronic devices inside booths.
- The main Mumbai contest is framed as Mahayuti (BJP + Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena) versus Shiv Sena (UBT) with MNS, with Congress, NCP and VBA active in parts of the city; polling day is a declared public holiday in corporation areas.