Young, smart and plugged-in, but how is the citizen and youth population of Mumbai looking at citizenship?
– The Blue Ribbon Movement
Anyone who lives in Mumbai long enough, inevitably learns to adapt with the way the city functions. It shows in the way we ninja-dodge potholes, get used to traffic hours and simply keep moving through the broken down hustle and bustle.
But somewhere between keeping the city running and keeping ourselves afloat, we forget that there is a civic machine beneath us. One that decides if our drains choke during the monsoons, if the flyover bridges stay intact all year long, if our government hospitals have enough beds, or if our playgrounds and trees survive the next “re-development”.
For three whole years, that civic machine had no elected leadership.
On 15th January 2026, Mumbai finally voted again after the last local body elections that happened approximately 9 years back. Mumbai’s municipal body handles a ₹74,000 crore budget- bigger than any other metropolitan city in India and yet, the city did not show up like a city that realised its own power would.
We finally had an election that could genuinely reshape Mumbai and steer it towards a better future if we wanted it to. But if you looked around, it barely felt like it. The stakes were huge, the awareness was not.
52.94% of voters turned up this time at the polls, compared to 55.53% in 2017.
And currently – with news around major issues like the mangroves being cut, rising AQI, national park and wildlife of the city at risk spreading across WhatsApp groups and information feeds, this dip should not feel normal. It should make us pause and ask why half the voters of the city sat out this election.
What pulled down the citizen turnout at the polls?
Awareness Gaps
A significant awareness gap persisted among citizens regarding why the 2026 election was a decisive moment for the city. Currently there are very limited public discourses explaining how local governance decisions directly shape our everyday civic life. Barely any efficient initiatives taken to genuinely empower the citizens so they actively engage with the system.
The absence of sustained conversations across media, communities and civic platforms over “why” this election is important, allowed this gap to widen leaving many voters disengaged from the larger political picture.
Chaos on Voting Day
The voting day exposed serious administrative and logistical failures. Sudden changes in polling booth locations, missing voter names on electoral rolls, malfunctioning EVMs at some booths pushed the process far from being seamless. This naturally would cause frustration and fatigue, forcing voters to leave without casting their ballots even though some citizens did persevere for the sake of their vote and made it to the ballot.
Two of our volunteers, share their voting experience and we quote:
“Party polling booths told me that my name was not there on the list, regardless of me telling them I had voted in the previous elections. They told me it will not be possible this year. Yet, I turned to the website for help but the website was too slow to access any information. After an hour and half of efforts, I managed to get my vote casted anyway, even if I had to do it under a different ward and not my residential ward. The process was too exhausting, but I am still hopeful that the authorities will look into this!” – Pankati Jain (27F)
“The polling booth officers did not have access to appropriate data they would need in order to help people out on the voting day which wasn’t expected. Nor did the website help. With a lost hope, I gave it one last try on voting day and luckily found an officer who had access to help me with my details. Did not expect such inconsistency in the system after a gap of approximately 9 years for a local election to happen.” – Aniruddha Gaonkar (26M)
Beyond logistical failures, a deeper sense of quiet apathy had already taken root.
The belief that a single vote would not make a much difference was widespread among the citizens of the city which caused disengagement. A long period of running without elections leaves the citizens disinterested to vote. This kind of apathy towards politics that silently takes root within citizens can lead to us giving into an authoritarian and unaccountable governing system.
From where we stand, we certainly do not want this to haunt those traces of democracy that are still trying to thrive in the system.
The youth angle adds another layer…
Young candidates stepping up this year to contest in elections signaled a much needed ray of hope. Young energy driving the political engagement by inspiring peers and bringing in fresh ideas to the system meant unlocking a new momentum. From college students to activists working on grassroot issues, over 150 candidates under the age of 30 were in the fray.
Ideally, fellow young voters would rally behind them, mobilize support and take action. But the outcome was misaligned because the majority of them including the youngest 21-year old candidates faced setbacks in the wards they contested in.
The reasons for this to happen feel familiar. Widespread citizen apathy, low visibility for new candidates and voter preference for familiar names hindered the much needed intervention of youth energy in the system.
The youngest female candidate to have secured a win was BJP’s Kashish Fulwaria (22F) from Ward No. 151. She secured 13,606 votes with a massive lead against other parties contesting in the ward.
What we observed
At We Vote WISE, organized by the Blue Ribbon Movement with other partners, we brought citizens together from across the city to talk about the real needs of our bastis and mohallas before elections. The goal was simple but urgent: reflect on three years without elections, observe our present Mumbai alongside a WISE city, co-create Citizen-made Statements holding municipal corporations accountable and make an informed decision at the polling booths for a better life in the city.
What stood out- and frankly surprised us, was the low youth turnout in comparison to our other events, which usually spark energy, ideas and action from young people naturally.
At this critical moment, as a youth-led organization, the dire need for citizen engagement with the system strikes us more than it did before. The way to a better life in the city and a better system that fuels it, is through meaningful citizen engagement with local bodies and channeling the youth energy into ideas & action that could move systems.
So, where does one start?
Fellow young people & Mumbaikars, step up!
Begin close to your home. Look for local youth groups- if there are not any, grab a few friends and start one. Mobilize support and start engaging with your neighbourhood and understand what is happening around you.
(Want to explore a Youth Mandali in action? Check out MYM to see how young people are already shaping change in the city and fighting off the feeling of hopelessness!)
Know your ward. That long-standing civic complaint that’s been bothering you?
File it-WhatsApp chatbots make it easy. Take it a step further and visit your ward office with your complaint number and see how civic complaints are handled.
What are the basic infrastructure standards your ward must meet? What must we never allow the government to do, and a roadmap for holding authorities accountable? And if the system still fails? – Read the WISE citizen credibility ledger (2025-2030)
A WISE Mumbai is one where everyone lives with dignity, especially those that help run this city. We envision a Mumbai that finds root in resilience, community-care and sustainable ways of living. This future can not just be built in boardrooms but rather on-ground, when people and the youth who care show up.
Change begins here, now and by coming together.
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