Ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) candidate Murat Kurum and incumbent Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu are running close in new polls of Istanbul voters for the upcoming local elections.

Polls from six survey companies have shown that fierce competition will likely take place between the top two contenders, Kurum, a former environment and urbanization minister, and Imamoğlu of the main opposition's Republican People's Party (CHP).

Ever since losing Istanbul to the CHP in the 2019 elections, the AK Party has been eager to recapture the largest metropolitan in Türkiye, which is considered the most critical local administration seat in the mayoral race on March 31.

According to Di-En Research, Imamoğlu leads by 43.8% to Kurum's 38.2%, while Sonar reports the pair almost tied with Imamoğlu at 41.9% to Kurum's 41.3%, and ORC Research shows Kurum ahead with 37.7% against Imamoğlu at 36.5%.

Istanbul, which hosts over 16 million people, has more than 10.5 million eligible voters, according to figures from the Supreme Election Council (YSK) released before last May's general and presidential elections.

Kurum earlier this month accused his main rival of "chasing after irrelevant matters" and "failing to focus on Istanbul" in reference to internal feuds that have plagued the CHP's election preparations, particularly quarrels between Imamoğlu and party leader Özgür Özel on candidate selection.

Infighting at the CHP has also soured public opinion of Türkiye's oldest party, even among its supporter base.

While Kurum has the backing of the AK Party's People's Alliance partner, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Imamoğlu has lost an endorsement from former allies like the nationalist Good Party (IP) and the PKK-affiliated Green Left Party (YSP), informally known as the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and previously going by Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).

Özel, elected with Imamoğlu's support at an intra-party vote last November, mounted a fierce effort to form another alliance, but both the IP and the YSP rejected the CHP and all opposition parties are fielding their own mayoral candidates in Istanbul, effectively slashing votes for Imamoğlu.

Imamoğlu, on top of fighting a lawsuit that could ban him from politics for good, has been facing an onslaught of criticism over increasing incidents, accidents and breakdowns in public transportation affiliated with his office.

Kurum's campaign has so far largely focused on the urban transformation of earthquake-prone Istanbul, which sits on a major fault line, as well as strengthening public transport and bolstering technical and social infrastructure.

Imamoğlu, too, is promising a series of new metro lines crisscrossing the city, more green spaces, waste-to-energy projects, and a "sturdier Istanbul" against disasters and crises.