Single-Party Dominance Marks MMR Municipal Elections
Recent civic polls across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region have revealed a striking pattern. Most multi-member ward panels elected candidates from the same political party. This trend significantly limits broader political representation within individual wards.
The Numbers Tell the Story
Data from eight municipal corporations shows clear dominance. Of 208 multi-member wards, 132 panels elected all members from one party. That represents 63.46 percent of all such wards. Panels with members from different parties remained rare exceptions.
Only Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation avoided this system entirely. BMC continued electing one corporator per ward instead of adopting the panel approach.
How the Multi-Member System Works
The State Election Commission introduced this system for specific reasons. Each ward elects three or four corporators instead of just one. Voters must cast multiple votes corresponding to each seat in their panel.
Authorities designed this format with several goals:
- Provide broader representation in densely populated urban areas
- Reduce total ward numbers while maintaining proportional representation
- Encourage cooperation among corporators from different parties
- Align representation with population size in large urban centers
Where Diversity Actually Occurred
The intended diversity materialized in just one location. Ward No. 22 in Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation elected four members from four different parties. These included BJP, Shiv Sena, UBT Sena, and MNS representatives.
Overall, 820 corporators won elections across 208 panels in the eight municipal corporations using this system.
Corporation-by-Corporation Breakdown
The pattern repeated across most municipal corporations:
- Thane Municipal Corporation: 21 of 33 wards elected same-party panels
- Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation: 19 of 28 wards followed this pattern
- Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation: 18 of 24 wards elected same-party panels
- Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation: 25 of 29 wards voted similarly
- Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation: 12 of 31 panels comprised same-party members
- Bhiwandi Nizampur Municipal Corporation: 19 of 23 panels did so
- Panvel: 8 of 20 panels had single-party members
- Ulhasnagar: 10 of 20 panels recorded similar composition
Experts Explain the Dominance
Political analyst Surendra Jondhale points to voter familiarity as a key factor. "In most cases voters end up polling for all candidates of a major party," he explains. "Especially the ruling party, as in several cases they hardly know candidates of other smaller parties and independents from their prabhag ward."
Vivek Ghotale of Unique Foundation has studied this system extensively. His research shows smaller parties and independents face significant disadvantages. "The prabhag is much larger, four times the capacity of one corporation ward," he notes. "These people cannot reach out to all the voters in their prabhags nor do they have the resources to do so."
Ghotale adds that national parties benefit disproportionately. "They have larger resources and also their symbols are known to people," he emphasizes.
Voter Behavior and System Design
Dr. Sanjay Patil, an academician and urban politics researcher, highlights voter experience. "For example, Thane Municipal Corporation had a panel system in 2017 as well," he observes. "It is possible that people felt wards that had the same party panel were more effective."
He identifies another behavioral pattern. "Since there are four candidates to vote, people at times don't know all the candidates," Patil explains. "They may like one candidate and vote for the others on his party panel. What this does is that even if there is one strong candidate, thanks to him other weaker candidates may also get polled in."
Another expert pursuing PhD research on this subject notes systemic impacts. "Since larger areas are involved in prabhags, it becomes difficult for a candidate from the minority community or a particular caste to be voted in," the expert states. "This advantage is neutralized across a larger area where the dominant population ensures their candidates are selected."
Jondhale concludes with a political perspective. "Political parties in the past and present created multi-member wards in such a way that these become more useful and complementary for the ruling party," he says. "As against single ward corporator, multi-member panel is more conducive for them."
The data clearly demonstrates how electoral systems shape political outcomes. While designed to enhance representation, the multi-member ward system in MMR has largely reinforced single-party dominance across municipal corporations.
