By: Express News ServiceJanuary 1, 2026 10:23 PM IST 3 min readMeanwhile, civic data shows that there will be a significant increase in the number of polling stations in the city. (File Photo)As Mumbai is set to witness civic elections on January 15 after a delay of four years, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has constituted a team to monitor the election expenditure of nominated candidates. Civic officials said the move aims to ensure that candidates do not exceed the prescribed spending limits.For civic elections, the expenditure limit has been capped at Rs 15 lakh. In comparison, the maximum expenditure for parliamentary and state Assembly elections has been capped at Rs 95 lakh and Rs 40 lakh respectively, depending on the size of the constituency.“Each ward will comprise an expenditure observer who will audit the day-to-day expenditures that will be incurred by the candidates. The observers will also record video footage of campaign rallies and activities to check if there are suspicious activities with regards to expenditure,” said the official.Officials said the observing teams will comprise officers from the BMC’s assessment department, which is primarily involved in the collection of property tax in Mumbai.Meanwhile, civic data shows that there will be a significant increase in the number of polling stations in the city. While 7,297 polling stations were set up in Mumbai during the 2017 civic polls, the BMC has proposed 10,231 polling stations this year — an increase of nearly 40 per cent. Of these, around 4,386 polling centres will be located inside government buildings and institutions, including schools.Politicians declare unopposed contestsWith the State Election Commission’s (SEC) deadline for withdrawal of nominations set to end on Friday, leaders from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have expressed confidence of winning unopposed in two municipal wards.On Thursday, former MP Kirit Somaiya announced that in ward number 107 in Mulund, the BJP would win unopposed as the Shiv Sena (UBT), Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) have not fielded any candidates.Story continues below this adThis came a day after the nomination forms of Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidates were cancelled in the high-profile ward number 226 in Colaba, leaving BJP candidate Makarand Narwekar to contest against independent candidates.Following the incident, leaders from opposition parties alleged that Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, who is also the MLA from Colaba, had threatened independent candidates to withdraw their nominations.On Friday, the Maharashtra State Election Commission sought a reply from the BMC’s municipal commissioner regarding the incident.“We have sought the reply from the municipal commissioner as per the procedure. Once we get the response, we will decide on further course of action,” said an official from the SEC.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation