Maharashtra Elections 2026 Exit Poll Live Updates: Highlights

Maharashtra Elections Exit Poll Live Updates: Polling for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections concluded at 5.30 pm today, with voting held across all 227 wards in the city. A total of 1,700 candidates were in the fray, while more than 1.03 crore citizens were eligible to cast their votes. Mumbai Police had ramped up security through the day, deploying additional personnel, installing barricades and conducting checks to ensure peaceful polling.Election authorities rolled out several voter-friendly initiatives, including pink polling booths staffed entirely by women and special teams to assist senior citizens. South Mumbai Returning Officer Krishna Jadhav appealed to voters to take part in the democratic exercise, pointing to measures taken to ensure a smooth and accessible voting process.Exit polls for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections has projected the BJP emerging as the single largest party with 138 seats, followed by the Shiv Sena (UBT) with 59 seats and the Congress with 23 seats. Other parties and independents are expected to secure around seven seats, according to the projections.The civic polls are seen as a high-stakes political contest in Maharashtra, especially for the Thackeray brothers following the Shiv Sena split in 2022. The results are expected to indicate whether their political influence continues to hold sway in Mumbai and beyond. Votes will be counted on January 16, after polling across 29 municipal corporations in the state. Stay with TOI for the latest updates.