Mumbai BMC Elections Delayed, Could Be Held In March-end Or April

MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, which were originally supposed to be held in February this year are delayed and could be held either in the last week of March or first week of April.

It is most likely that the BMC elections will be held in the month of April as the final list of the Ward limits will be only out on 2nd March, said a senior BMC official.

After that the lottery for the reservations has to be held and then the State Election Commission (SEC) will announce the polls.

It is very unlikely that the elections could be held before the first week of April. The term of the BMC House ends on March 8, 2022. If elections are announced before March 8, the current group of corporators will cease to exist and powers will be vested in the BMC commissioner.

Earlier an administrator would be appointed in case polls were delayed, but the present BMC Act does not have provisions for the appointment of an administrator, said officials familiar with the process.

All the parties, particularly the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) have begun preparations for the polls as winning the BMC is a prestigious issue for both the Shiv Sena and the BJP alike.