The BJP has not fielded any Muslim candidate for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election to be held on January 15. In 2017, the saffron party had fielded four candidates.
In total, there are 334 Muslim candidates in the fray for BMC polls this year. The largest number of candidates belongs to the Samajwadi Party, which has nominated 46 Muslim candidates.
VIDEO | Mumbai: "We will deport Bangladeshi infiltrators and ensure a Marathi-Hindu mayor in Mumbai," said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday, addressing the first rally of the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance for the January 15 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation… pic.twitter.com/gTzR0i6Kzq
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 4, 2026
While there is no surprise that the BJP has not fielded any Muslim candidate, its ally, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, has nominated 12 Muslim candidates.
Congress has fielded 37 Muslims, the same number as it did in the 2017 election to the BMC.
Mumbai has more than 2.5 million Muslims, and their vote is decisive in nearly 50 electoral wards.
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In 2017, the undivided Shiv Sena had nominated five Muslims, while this time around, the Shiv Sena has 12 candidates, and Shiv Sena (UBT) has 10 Muslim candidates.
The undivided NCP had nominated 39 candidates in 2017. However, after the split, the Ajit Pawar faction has fielded 24, while the Sharad Pawar faction has fielded just three.
Muslims are the largest minority, but their electoral representation has remained limited to around 11-12 per cent. The last house of the BMC had 27 Muslim corporators.
‘Population of Muslims, illegal Bangladeshi citizens is on rise in Mumbai’
BJP leader Kirit Somaiya said on Monday that the population of Muslims and illegal Bangladeshi citizens is on the rise in Mumbai, and added that both Uddhav and Raj Thackeray are not addressing this issue, which he described as a "serious demographic concern" for the city.
Somaiya said Uddhav Thackeray is now seeking votes by invoking "Allah" rather than Lord Ram. He added that candidates from Shiv Sena (UBT) are actively campaigning in Muslim-majority areas of Mumbai, including Agripada, Nagpada, and Behrampada.
Somaiya argued that while the Sena (UBT) presents itself as a pro-Hindutva party, its candidates are winning due to support from Muslim voters.
Somaiya noted that neither of the Thackeray cousins has spoken out against illegal mosques or the use of loudspeakers, and he questioned Raj Thackeray’s previous stance on the issue.
