BMC Polls: Identity Politics Overshadow Civic Issues as Campaign Ends
As campaigning ends for the high-stakes BMC elections, Mumbai finds itself at the centre of one of its most polarising civic battles in recent memory. Instead of debates on infrastructure, flooding, air quality, and civic governance, the campaign was dominated by sharp identity politics and aggressive rhetoric. The Thackeray brothers pitched the election as a fight for Marathi identity and Mumbai's place within Maharashtra, while the BJP-led Mahayuti countered with a development-focused narrative, rejecting what it called fear-mongering and emotional politics. With voting just hours away, the contest for India's richest municipal body has turned into a test of whether emotion or performance will sway Mumbai's electorate.
