Mumbai, Jan 12 (IANS) With the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections just days away, the Congress on Monday expressed confidence about its prospects, saying the party is set to perform well in the upcoming civic polls.

This comes days after the Mumbai Congress, on January 6, released its manifesto for the BMC Elections 2026.

The manifesto promises a series of welfare and development-oriented measures, including steps to improve air quality in the city and the introduction of universal health cards that would provide citizens with free medicines.

Speaking to IANS, Congress leader Udit Raj said that people are increasingly inclined towards the Congress and disillusioned with politics based on religious polarisation.

“People want the Congress. This is my own experience, and I am confident that the results will be good. Fighting elections on Hindu-Muslim lines is an old tactic of the BJP and Shiv Sena,” he said.

He added that Maharashtra’s social composition has changed over time.

“The population today is mixed. The question people are asking is what they are getting in return. If the BMC cannot provide clean drinking water and good roads, and if thousands of workers are still not made permanent, then people will look for alternatives. That is why the Congress will perform well this time,” Raj said.

Another Congress leader, Sachin Sawant, echoed similar views and said the party is focussed on development rather than divisive politics.

“We have announced our slogan, ‘Vivaad nahi, Vikas chahiye’. Congress is the party talking about development, while others are creating disputes in the name of religion, caste, and regional language. We do not expect anything constructive from them,” he told IANS.

Maharashtra will vote to elect its BMC corporators on January 15. A total of 1,729 candidates are contesting the elections across 227 wards. The results for the country’s richest civic body will be announced the following day, on January 16.

The Maharashtra government has declared a public holiday on the day of polling, as elections for 29 municipal corporations, including the BMC, are being held simultaneously across the state.

The last BMC elections were held in 2017, and the corporation’s tenure ended on March 7, 2022. Since then, the civic body has been administered by an appointed administrator. The official election process began with the notification issued in December 2025.

The State Election Commission announced on December 15, 2025, that voting would take place in a single phase on January 15, 2026, between 7.30 am and 5.30 pm. More than 1.03 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots across all 227 wards under the Model Code of Conduct.

–IANS

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