The 2026 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election results show a clear message: identity politics based on language has limits in Mumbai. Even after strong campaigns focused on Marathi identity, non-Marathi corporators now make up 34.4% of the city’s civic body. This is the highest share in more than 30 years.
Out of 227 elected corporators, 78 are non-Marathi. This is slightly higher than the 2017 election and much higher than 2012, when the number had fallen to 64. These figures show that migrant communities in Mumbai have kept their political space strong and are slowly expanding it.
Mumbai is a city built by migrants, and the election results reflect this reality. Despite repeated calls focusing on “Marathi manoos,” voters from non-Marathi communities did not shift away from their preferred candidates.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has the highest number of non-Marathi corporators. Of its 89 seats, 38 are held by non-Marathi leaders, or nearly 43%. This strength comes mainly from suburban areas and mixed-language wards where migrant populations are high.
On the other hand, both factions of the Shiv Sena continue to depend mostly on Marathi-speaking voters. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena has only seven non-Marathi corporators out of 65, while the Eknath Shinde-led group has five out of 29. This shows that even after the party split, Sena’s politics remains closely tied to Marathi identity.
Overall, the BMC results underline a simple truth: Mumbai’s diversity continues to shape its politics, and migrant communities remain an important and growing force in the city’s governance.
