BMC exit poll shocker: BJP alliance storms to majority, Thackeray brothers falter

Mumbai (The Uttam Hindu) - Voting for Maharashtra's 29 municipal corporations, including the country's richest municipal corporation, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), concluded peacefully on Thursday evening. Axis My India's exit polls, released shortly after voting concluded, have created a stir in Mumbai politics. Early indications show the Mahayuti (BJP-Shinde faction) gaining a clear lead, while the Thackeray brothers' unity appears to be lacking the desired impact.

Nearly 1,700 candidates are contesting for the BMC's 227 wards. The majority mark is 114 seats, which exit polls show the BJP-led alliance easily surpassing. All eyes are now on the counting of votes, which begins at 10 a.m. Friday, to determine who will retain power in Mumbai and whether the Thackeray family will be able to retain its traditional stronghold.

Seat Estimates: BJP Alliance Ahead According to

an Axis My India exit poll, the BJP+ is projected to win 131 to 151 seats in the BMC, well above a clear majority. The alliance of Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray's MNS is projected to win 58 to 68 seats.

According to the JVC exit poll, the BJP is projected to win 138 seats, while Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray's MNS together are projected to win 59. The survey predicts Congress will win 23 seats.

According to the Sakal exit poll, the BJP and Shiv Sena could win 119 seats each, while the Shiv Sena (UBT) could win 75. The poll predicts Congress will win no more than 20 seats.

Congress, which formed a last-minute alliance with Prakash Ambedkar's Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), may have to settle for only 12 to 16 seats. Exit poll data clearly indicates a change of guard in the BMC.

Mahayuti is also ahead in vote share

According to exit polls:

BJP alliance gets around 42% votes;

Thackeray brothers' alliance gets 32% votes;

Congress alliance and other parties get around 13% each.

The male-female voting trend of the BMC elections is also clearly visible in the exit poll. According to the data, among women, the BJP alliance got the highest 44 percent votes, while UBT+ got 31 percent support. The Congress alliance got 13 percent and other parties got 12 percent female votes. Among male voters too, BJP+ was ahead with 40 percent. UBT+ got 33 percent male votes, while Congress+ got 13 percent and others got 14 percent support. This trend shows that the BJP alliance had an edge among both male and female categories in the BMC elections.