In a significant development, Ganesh Khankar has been selected as the new group leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), as per sources. The official announcement is expected soon and party leaders are preparing for the formal declaration, they added. This comes days after the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance secured a simple majority in the recently held BMC polls. The BJP emerged as the single largest party, winning 89 seats on its own.
Who is Ganesh Khankar?
Ganesh Khankar secured his position in the BMC after winning from Ward Number 7 in Dahisar. He will be the leader of the house as the BJP is the single-largest party. A seasoned BJP leader, Khankar also serves as a corporator from Borivli and has long been associated with the party’s organisational network.
Amey Ghole is Shiv Sena's group leader
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) has chosen Amey Ghole as its group leader in the BMC. Ghole's appointment is expected to strengthen the Shinde faction's influence within the civic body and streamline its hold over administrative functions, as per sources. With this development, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena has significantly bolstered its position alongside the BJP in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation, they added.
BMC Elections 2026
According to official figures released by the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the BMC, the BJP won 89 seats, polling 11,79,273 votes, which accounts for 21.58 per cent of the total votes cast. Among all winning candidates, the BJP's vote share stands at 45.22 per cent, making it the single largest party in the civic body. Its alliance partner, the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), secured 29 seats with 2,73,326 votes, translating into 5.00 per cent of the total vote share. Together, the BJP-Shiv Sena (Shinde) alliance emerged as the largest bloc in the BMC.
On the other side, the Shiv Sena (UBT), contesting in alliance with the MNS, won 65 seats. The UBT-led Sena polled 7,17,736 votes, accounting for 13.13 per cent of the total votes cast. The MNS added 6 seats to the alliance tally, with 74,946 votes and a 1.37 per cent vote share. The Indian National Congress (INC) secured 24 seats, polling 2,42,646 votes, which represents 4.44 per cent of the total vote share.
