As Mumbai gears up for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections scheduled for January 15, 2026, nomination affidavits filed with the State Election Commission have thrown the spotlight on the financial profiles of civic poll contestants. A close look at the disclosures reveals wide disparities in declared assets, along with sharp increases in personal wealth for several prominent candidates since the last municipal elections.
According to the affidavits made public ahead of polling, the total assets declared by candidates vary dramatically across wards from less than Rs 1 crore to well over Rs 50 crore. The filings also indicate that a number of sitting and former corporators have seen substantial growth in their wealth over the past few years.
Former Mumbai mayor and three-time corporator Kishori Pednekar, who is contesting from Ward 199 covering areas such as Dhobi Ghat and Saat Rasta in the BMC’s G-South ward, has reported an increase of over 200 per cent in her declared assets. As per her affidavit, Pednekar has listed total assets worth Rs 5.26 crore, a sharp rise from the Rs 1.61 crore she declared in 2017. Her disclosures include immovable properties valued at Rs 4.69 crore and movable assets amounting to Rs 57 lakh.
Also, among the wealthiest candidates is Tulip Miranda, contesting from Ward 90 (Kalina) on a Congress ticket. She has declared assets worth Rs 50.69 crore, marking a significant rise from the approximately Rs 42.59 crore she reported in the previous election.
Other high-value declarations include Yamini Jadhav, contesting from Ward 209, who has listed assets worth Rs 14.57 crore, and Tejasvi Ghosalkar from Ward 2 (Anand Nagar), who has declared total assets of Rs 5.15 crore.
A similar trend is visible in the disclosure of Samadhan Sarvankar, who has reported assets worth Rs 46.59 crore, nearly four times the Rs 9.43 crore he declared in the 2017 civic polls.
A sharp rise is also evident in the affidavit of former BJP corporator Neil Somaiya (35). From declaring assets worth Rs 1.99 crore in the 2017 civic polls, Somaiya has now reported total assets of Rs 9.89 crore, comprising Rs 5.72 crore in movable assets and Rs 4.16 crore in immovable properties.
From Byculla-Agripada (Ward 212), sitting corporator Geeta Gawali has shown more than a two-fold increase in her wealth, declaring assets of Rs 7.26 crore in her latest filing.
While none of the candidates mentioned in the reviewed affidavits have reported criminal convictions, some have disclosed pending cases, as required under election rules.
