BMC Polls | More Number Of Female Candidates To Contest; 879 Women, 821 Men In Fray
The voting for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls will take place on January 15, 2026, while counting of votes will be held the next day.
Published : January 6, 2026 at 5:20 PM IST
Mumbai: Come elections, and there is a fight for tickets with more men contesting as compared to women. Usually, there are more female candidates associated with leading political families who are given preference, even in wards or constituencies designated for women.
The picture for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls is, however, different. It has become evident that there are more female candidates than male candidates, despite the intense competition for power among all political groups.
There are now 1700 candidates in the fray, with 879 female candidates and 821 male candidates. Of the 227 wards, 114 have been reserved for women, which is also a reason one can see such a high number of female candidates running for office.
The voting for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls will take place on January 15, 2026, while counting of votes will be held the next day.
With 68 women in the fray, Deonar, Mankhurd, Chembur, and Govandi have the highest number of women candidates. In contrast are Worli and Prabhadevi areas, which have the least number of women candidates. It is followed by Kurla and Mulund.
The BMC elections are being held after 2017, as all the municipal corporations were dissolved by the Maharashtra government over the last three years. Prior to announcing elections in December 2025, a revised reservation quota was announced for many of the 227 wards for the BMC.
Due to the new reservation policy, over 50 per cent women are contesting in 24 wards. In a few wards, a female candidate has been given tickets even though they are open wards. Now, 220 men and 223 women candidates are in the fray in the open wards. After 453 women withdrew from the race, now there are 1700 contenders. There are 879 women and 821 male candidates in the final list.
Of the 10 candidates, there are 8 women candidates in the Matunga, Sion, and Wadala wards, while only 2 male candidates. Meanwhile, in Andheri, Jogeshwari, and Vile Parle East wards, there are 11 women candidates of the 15 in total.
Among all the political parties, the BJP has the highest number of women candidates. Out of their 137 candidates, 61 are men and 76 are women. This is for the first time in the history of the BJP that such a high number of women have been given tickets, even in Mumbai city. The BJP has gone one step further by selecting female candidates for open wards.
It is well known that open wards are typically competitive and regarded as extremely prestigious. Usually, the male candidates who do not qualify for reservations or who do not meet the OBC or Scheduled Tribe criteria make a beeline for these open wards. The BJP has surprised the ticket seekers by selecting women candidates for open wards.
BMC Elections, 2017 — Number of candidates
Total: 2,275
Male candidates: 1,190
Female candidates: 1,084
47.6 per cent women candidates were given tickets.
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