In the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, some wards delivered surprising outcomes. In Santacruz's Ward No. 90, the margin between victory and defeat was a razor-thin 7 votes. Here, the Congress candidate clinched the win, leaving the BJP in disappointment.
This election is considered the closest contest for BMC. In Ward No. 90 (H/East), Santacruz, Congress candidate Advocate Tulip Brian Miranda narrowly defeated BJP's Jyoti Anil Upadhyay by just 7 votes. According to official figures, Tulip Miranda secured a total of 5,197 votes, whereas BJP's Jyoti Upadhyay received 5,190 votes.
This slender margin turned this ward into the most talked-about contest in the entire BMC election.
Ward No. 90 is one of the 227 wards in the Greater Mumbai Municipal Corporation. This ward is reserved for the general category and has a total population of 56,468. It has always been crucial for political parties during BMC elections.
Who Were the Candidates in Ward 90?
A total of 9 candidates contested in this ward:
- Ansari Masood Abdulqasim - Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (SSUBT)- Suresha Keshav Acharya - Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)- Jyoti Anil Upadhyay - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)- Advocate Tulip Brian Miranda - Congress (INC)- Sana Abbas Qureshi - Samajwadi Party (SP)- Ganesh Jannapa Annareddy - Independent- George Abraham - Independent- Subhash Mahadev Sawant - Independent- Singh Vipinkumar - Independent
Changes Since the 2017 Election
In the 2017 BMC election, Tulip Brian Miranda was also the victor from Ward 90, securing 5,952 votes with a victory margin of 1,579 votes. In that election, the Samajwadi Party's Benedict Dennis Kenny came in second, receiving 4,373 votes. NOTA (None of the Above) option received 430 votes. By 2026, the victory margin had sharply narrowed to just 7 votes.
Massive BJP Victory in Ward 46, Malad West
While the Santacruz race was neck-and-neck, Ward No. 46 in Malad West witnessed a decisive victory for the BJP. BJP candidate Yogita Sunil Koli received 37,831 votes, while Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's (MNS) Snehita Sandesh Dehalikar suffered a defeat. Yogita Koli's triumph by a margin of 21,717 votes stands as one of the largest victories in this election.
Overall Political Dynamics of the BMC Election
This time, the power balance in the BMC election favored the BJP-Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena. The BJP + Shinde faction of Shiv Sena clinched 118 seats, with BJP securing 89 seats and the Shinde faction winning on 29 seats. The majority mark stands at 114.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) won 65 seats, MNS secured 6, NCP (Sharad Pawar) won 1, Congress claimed 24, and AIMIM won 8 seats. Ajit Pawar's NCP secured 3 seats, Samajwadi Party won 2, and Independents took 2 seats. The BMC elections occurred after 9 years, following the administration-led management from March 2022 onwards.
Asia's Wealthiest Municipal Corporation
BMC is counted among Asia's wealthiest municipalities, with an annual budget surpassing ₹74,400 crores. The latest election marked the return of an elected government since 2017.
