CNN-News18 presents Ballot Maximum City: Decoding Mumbai’s Biggest Civic Battle

As the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) heads to polls on 15 January, CNN-News18 ramps up extensive on-ground election coverage through its special programming ‘Ballot Maximum City’. CNN-News18 brings together its strongest editorial resources, top anchors, editors and reporters, to decode one of the most crucial civic elections in the country’s financial capital.

As India’s richest municipal body, the BMC plays a pivotal role in shaping Mumbai’s civic infrastructure, public health systems, transportation networks, and urban governance. The elections, being held after a gap of eight years, assume added significance amid changing political equations and heightened voter expectations.

The special programming lineup includes a set of short, sharp segments under ‘Ballot Maximum City, showcasing popular political faces of Mumbai as they campaign across the city, offering viewers unfiltered insights into local politics, party strategies and voter outreach. The segments feature special interactions with key political leaders including Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde, Aaditya Thackeray, Varun Sardesai, and Praful Patel.

Putting the voter at the centre of the story is ‘Reporters Project’, a ground-up election docu-series where CNN-News18 reporters travel across key wards to capture the pulse of Mumbai’s voters. The first episode explores voter expectations and civic issues shaping the mandate, while the second follows the campaign trail amid Mumbai’s changing political dynamics, including the key question of how the Uddhav-Raj Thackeray reunion could influence the BMC elections.

Adding a strong local connect, ‘Mumbai Local’ features a series of candid, Walk The Talk chat format with well-known local faces and celebrities who have seen the city evolve and have played a role in shaping its cultural and social narrative. This includes personalities such as Milind Deora, Shobha De, Priya Dutt, Vivek Agnihotri, and Malhar Kamble to name a few.

The coverage builds up to ‘Mumbai 60,’ a one-hour live special airing on the eve of polling on 14 January at 5 PM, sharply focused on ward-level issues and last-minute electoral buzz.

On Polling day, 15 January, CNN-News18 will bring viewers continuous, on-ground coverage from polling booths across Mumbai. The BMC Elections coverage culminates with special Counting Day programming on 16 January, 7am onwards with in-depth analysis from the channel’s top anchors and election experts, live reporters from ground zero, delivering the fastest and most accurate results, thereby establishing the promise ‘Elections = CNN-News18’.

Speaking about the special programming line-up, Rahul Shivshankar, Editorial Affairs Director, CNN-News18, said, “Our focus with this coverage is on the voter. By reporting from the wards, listening to citizens, and closely tracking the campaigns, we aim to present a nuanced, issue-based narrative that truly captures Mumbai’s electoral pulse.”

Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, said, “The BMC elections are critical to the future of Mumbai, and our endeavour with ‘Ballot Maximum City’ is to go beyond headlines and soundbites. As India’s number one English news channel, backed by the best editorial team, we are committed to bringing viewers credible, on-ground journalism that reflects the real concerns of citizens, important leaders, and stakeholders shaping Mumbai’s civic future.” Tune in to CNN-News18 for this special programming line-up through which the channel once again reinforces its position as the definitive destination for election coverage, delivering clutter-free, credible journalism.