Maharashtra is actively participating in the civic body polls today, January 15, 2026, with voting underway across 29 municipal corporations, including the politically significant cities of Mumbai and Pune. These elections, which come after a delay of several years for some bodies, are a major democratic exercise involving over 3.48 crore eligible voters who will decide the fate of 15,931 candidates contesting across 893 wards. The spotlight remains firmly on the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), often referred to as India's richest civic body with an annual budget exceeding ₹74,400 crore. The Mumbai elections are particularly high-stakes, marking the first BMC polls since the dramatic 2022 split of the Shiv Sena and the subsequent political realignments. The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is locked in an intense contest against the united Thackeray front, which saw the reunion of estranged cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray after two decades to consolidate Marathi votes. Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad are also witnessing significant electoral battles, with rival factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) forming pre-poll alliances. A public holiday has been declared in the 29 civic body areas to encourage maximum voter participation. Comprehensive security arrangements, including the deployment of over 25,000 police personnel in Mumbai, have been made to ensure peaceful and orderly polling. Vote counting for all the municipal corporations is scheduled for Friday, January 16, 2026, which will set the tone for Maharashtra's future political landscape.