Updated: January 12, 2026 12:46:28 PM IST
Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray were again seen on the same stage in Shivaji Park on Sunday evening.
BMC Elections 2026 Live Updates: Political parties are gearing up for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections to be held on January 15. Across party lines, efforts are being made to cultivate the ‘Marathi manoos’. From the war of words between allies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar to the opposition’s game against ‘Hindi imposition’, the campaigns for the high-stakes civic polls are witnessing many pitched battles.
In its election manifesto released on Sunday, the ruling Mahayuti, which includes the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, promised to “bring back the Marathi Manus” exiled on the outskirts of Mumbai and strengthen Marathi culture.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, who has once joined hands with his brother Uddhav Thackeray for the upcoming elections, also called for Marathi unity and warned against “imposing Hindi”. He termed the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections as a “pivotal” election for the Marathi community and urged voters to unite for Maharashtra.
Not only BMC, elections for 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra will be held on January 15, the results of which will come the next day. Here are the latest updates:
Mahayuti issued manifesto: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde led the launch of the Mahayuti’s manifesto on Sunday. Some of the key promises of the manifesto include better travel for women in BEST buses, interest-free loans Rs 50 lakh for women entrepreneurs and moratorium on annual 8% water tax for five years. Fadnavis also announced that a tool has been developed for illegal Bangladeshi citizens and Rohingyas, and promised that illegal immigrants would be deported from the state.
Raj Thackeray’s ‘I will kick you’ warning: Raj Thackeray issued a warning against what he called “Hindi imposition” and said that although he did not hate the language, if anyone tried to impose it, he would “kick them out”. During an address, Thackeray said, “People of UP and Bihar should understand that Hindi is not your language. I do not hate this language… But if you try to impose it, I will kick you. They are coming to Maharashtra from all sides and snatching your share.”
Pawar joined hands in Pune: Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar-led NCP and his uncle Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) have joined hands for the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad municipal elections. Even though Ajit Pawar’s faction is part of the ruling grand alliance, it has come together with Sharad Pawar’s faction for the January 15 elections.
Promise of affordable housing: Among the many promises made by Mahayuti in its election manifesto is affordable housing in Mumbai, a city known for its exorbitant housing costs. Eknath Shinde announced to build 35 lakh affordable houses in the next five years by redeveloping chawls, slums and dilapidated buildings in the city.
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In its election manifesto released on Sunday, the ruling Mahayuti, which includes the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, promised to “bring back the Marathi Manus” exiled on the outskirts of Mumbai and strengthen Marathi culture.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, who has once joined hands with his brother Uddhav Thackeray for the upcoming elections, also called for Marathi unity and warned against “imposing Hindi”. He termed the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections as a “pivotal” election for the Marathi community and urged voters to unite for Maharashtra.
Not only BMC, elections for 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra will be held on January 15, the results of which will come the next day. Here are the latest updates:
Mahayuti issued manifesto: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde led the launch of the Mahayuti’s manifesto on Sunday. Some of the key promises of the manifesto include better travel for women in BEST buses, interest-free loans Rs 50 lakh for women entrepreneurs and moratorium on annual 8% water tax for five years. Fadnavis also announced that a tool has been developed for illegal Bangladeshi citizens and Rohingyas, and promised that illegal immigrants would be deported from the state.
Raj Thackeray’s ‘I will kick you’ warning: Raj Thackeray issued a warning against what he called “Hindi imposition” and said that although he did not hate the language, if anyone tried to impose it, he would “kick them out”. During an address, Thackeray said, “People of UP and Bihar should understand that Hindi is not your language. I do not hate this language… But if you try to impose it, I will kick you. They are coming to Maharashtra from all sides and snatching your share.”
Pawar joined hands in Pune: Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar-led NCP and his uncle Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) have joined hands for the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad municipal elections. Even though Ajit Pawar’s faction is part of the ruling grand alliance, it has come together with Sharad Pawar’s faction for the January 15 elections.
Promise of affordable housing: Among the many promises made by Mahayuti in its election manifesto is affordable housing in Mumbai, a city known for its exorbitant housing costs. Eknath Shinde announced to build 35 lakh affordable houses in the next five years by redeveloping chawls, slums and dilapidated buildings in the city.
Follow all updates here:
January 12, 2026 12:46:27 pm First
BMC Elections 2026 Live Updates: Fadnavis criticizes parties for giving tickets to criminals in Pune
BMC Elections 2026 Live Updates: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis criticized political parties for reportedly fielding candidates with criminal background in the Pune municipal elections. “The population of Pune is around 6 lakh. Why was it necessary to give tickets to people with criminal background as candidates? Everyone says and believes that crime should be eliminated. I have heard many speeches where it was said that the “Koyta gang” will be eliminated from Pune and crime will be rooted out… But the same people who made these statements are now giving tickets to criminals and are even speaking in their support. This is absolutely wrong, “Devendra Fadnavis was quoted as saying by ANI.
January 12, 2026 11:42:04 am First
BMC Elections 2026 Live Updates: BJP leader releases manifesto for Pune Ward No. 3
BMC Elections 2026 Live Updates: BJP candidate from Ward No. 3 in Pune reportedly released a manifesto on Sunday. The manifesto, released by BJP’s Aishwarya Surendra Pathare, is tailored to the specific needs of women. “The manifesto is built on four key pillars: women’s health, women’s safety, women’s skill development and women’s empowerment and has been designed keeping in mind the specific needs of women in Lohegaon and Wagholi areas of East Pune,” PTI quoted her as saying.
January 12, 2026 11:30:13 am First
BMC Elections 2026 Live Updates: Owaisi criticizes Mahayuti and MVA, says neither of them like ’emerging Muslim leader’
BMC Elections 2026 Live Updates: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi attacks both the Mahayuti and the MVA, urging the Muslim community to “develop its own political agency” and vote for a party that will develop organic Muslim leadership. “I want to tell you all that Congress, NCP, Shiv Sena, Shiv Sena (UBT) or BJP, none of them likes the emergence of a leader from the Muslim minority community. They don’t like it if a leader is born,” the AIMIM chief said at a public rally in Jalna on Sunday.
January 12, 2026 10:57:08 am First
BMC Elections 2026 Live Updates: Mumbai property boom likely after election results?
BMC Elections 2026 Live Updates: Experts have said that Mumbai may see an increase in the number of new real estate projects after the declaration of BMC election results. Experts said the decline in Mumbai and Pune real estate markets may ease in the first half of 2026. Read the full story Here,
January 12, 2026 10:48:31 am First
BMC Elections 2026 Live Updates: Uddhav Thackeray’s “Save Mumbai” pitch for Marathi Manoos
BMC Elections 2026 Live Updates: Former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray seen with cousin Raj Thackeray at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park as the duo tried to make a pitch for the Marathi Manoos ahead of the BMC elections. He urged Mumbaikars to support him to “save Mumbai”.
Appealing to Marathi-speaking voters, he warned, “If you make a mistake now, you will lose your chance to remain relevant.”
January 12, 2026 10:38:12 am First
BMC Elections 2026 Live Updates: Eknath Shinde predicts Mumbai, Thane-like fate for Mira Bhayandar
BMC Elections 2026 Live Updates: Eknath Shinde expresses confidence in BJP’s victory in Mira Bhayandar, and predicts Mumbai and Thane-like fate in civic body polls. PTI quoted Shinde as saying, “Balasaheb was very fond of Mira Bhayandar. Mumbai is saffron, Thane is saffron and now Mira Bhayandar will also be saffron.”
January 12, 2026 10:29:32 am First
BMC Elections 2026 Live Updates: Heated exchange between Ajit Pawar, Devendra Fadnavis before voting
BMC Elections 2026 Live Updates: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and his deputy Ajit Pawar engaged in a heated exchange of words as cracks surfaced within the ruling Mahayuti alliance. Fadnavis said the BJP and Pawar’s NCP had agreed on a “friendly” contest despite both parties contesting the BMC elections separately.
He was reacting to Ajit Pawar’s criticism of the BJP during a press conference in Pimpri. Ajit Pawar later defended his remarks, saying he was only pointing out flaws Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and are deliberately trying to criticize the BJP. Read the full story Here,
January 12, 2026 10:20:06 am First
BMC Elections 2026 Live Updates: Ajit Pawar’s NCP to contest alone in Thane due to seat share differences
BMC Elections 2026 Live Updates: The Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction will contest the upcoming Thane Municipal Corporation elections alone, a party leader said on Sunday. NCP leader Aditi Tatkare reportedly said the decision to contest the elections alone was taken after the party lacked the expected seat allocation within the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
“After the elections were announced, we made serious efforts to secure the appropriate number of seats within the Mahayuti. However, the talks yielded fewer seats than expected,” PTI quoted him as saying.
January 12, 2026 10:10:39 am First
BMC Elections 2026 Live Updates: Raj Thackeray warns he will ‘kick’ those trying to impose Hindi
BMC Elections 2026 Live Updates: Marathi ‘Manoos’ in Mumbai Raising voice for Marathi language, MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday said he will kick out anyone trying to impose Hindi in the state. “People of UP and Bihar should understand that Hindi is not your language. I do not hate this language… But if you try to impose it, I will kick you. They are coming to Maharashtra from all sides and snatching your share… If the land and the language are gone, you will be finished. Today, this crisis has come to your doorstep,” Raj Thackeray said in an ANI report.
January 12, 2026 10:07:47 am First
BMC Elections 2026 Live Updates: Mahayuti manifesto promises 10,000 new buses for Mumbai
BMC Elections 2026 Live Updates: The ruling Mahayuti in Maharashtra released its election manifesto for the BMC elections on Sunday. Launching the manifesto, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the addition of 10,000 BEST buses on Mumbai roads.
