The Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena alliance delivered a powerful performance in Maharashtra's local body elections on Friday. This electoral contest covered twenty-eight municipal corporations across the state. Counting of votes continued throughout the day, with clear trends emerging.
Mahayuti Alliance Secures Decisive Leads
According to the latest data from the state election commission, the Mahayuti coalition is leading decisively in major urban centers. These include Mumbai, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nashik, Nagpur, and Thane. The alliance appears set to control most municipal corporations.
BJP's national general secretary Tarun Chug celebrated the results. He called it a day of celebration for the people of Maharashtra. Chug stated that voters have blessed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies and his vision for a developed India. He described the victory as a win for nationalist forces.
"This result clearly shows that people are hurting those who perform the snake dance to the Pakistan Army's tune with their votes," Chug said. He also criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Chug accused Gandhi of making excuses about EVMs, voter lists, and election ink before the results were even announced.
Opposition Parties Face Major Setbacks
The Shiv Sena (UBT) put up a lackluster performance, finishing a distant second in most areas. The much-anticipated alliance between the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party also faltered. It failed to gain significant traction in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal elections.
Similarly, the Congress party struggled across all municipal corporation polls. The party failed to make a substantial mark in any major city.
Key Municipal Corporation Highlights
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation
The Mahayuti alliance is poised for a historic victory in Mumbai. This win would end the three-decade-long reign of the Shiv Sena in the financial capital. Current trends show the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena alliance leading in 117 wards.
Specifically, the BJP is leading in 86 seats. The Shiv Sena is leading in 31 seats. The Shiv Sena (UBT) alliance has crossed the 68 mark. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena is leading in 9 wards. The UBT Sena leads in 58, and the NCP (SP) leads in 1.
Ajit Pawar's NCP is also leading in 1 seat. The Congress party continues its dismal performance with leads in only 10 seats.
In high-profile ward battles, Sena (UBT)'s Foram Parmar is trailing in Ward 1. Gita Bhandari of the same faction is ahead in Ward 32. Shinde Sena’s Varsha Tembelkar leads in Ward 51. BJP candidates Deepak Tavde, Ujjwal Veti, and Neil Somaiya are showing strong leads.
Congress’ Asha Deepak Kale clinched Ward 183 in Dharavi. This offers a rare bright spot for the party. Mumbai recorded a voter turnout of 52.94 percent according to state election commission data.
Pune Municipal Corporation
The united Pawar family suffered a massive setback in Pune municipal elections. Reported trends indicate the BJP is leading in 90 out of 165 seats in the Pune Municipal Corporation.
The Pawar-Pawar combination failed to materialize significant support. It is staying at only 20 seats so far. In Pune's first results from Ward No. 20 in the Shankar Maharaj Math-Bibewadi area, three BJP candidates won. Rajendra Shilimkar, Tanvi Divekar, and Mansi Deshpande were elected.
NCP's Gaurav Ghule also emerged victorious. He defeated BJP's Mahendra Sundecha. The last PMC elections were held in 2017, eight years ago. Murlidhar Mohol, currently the Union minister of state for civil aviation and cooperation, served as Pune's mayor until November 2019.
Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation
Like other cities, the BJP is poised to sweep Pimpri-Chinchwad local body polls. The latest trend shows the BJP leading in 70 seats. The NCP, led by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, is leading in 40 seats.
Both parties contested the polls in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad independently. The BJP single-handedly held power in the previous five-year terms from 2017 to 2022 in both civic bodies. After that, an Administrator controlled the civic body due to a delay in polls. The Supreme Court had put the elections on hold over reservation issues.
In Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, the BJP contested independently against its Mahayuti partners. These include the NCP and Shiv Sena, headed by deputy chief ministers Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde respectively. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress are also in the fray.
The poll campaign in these cities saw sharp exchanges between Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and the BJP. Pawar targeted the local BJP leadership over alleged irregularities in the functioning of the two civic bodies.
Nagpur Municipal Corporation
The Mahayuti alliance registered a solid performance in Nagpur local body polls too. Latest trends show the alliance has crossed the majority mark in the 151-seat local body.
The BJP looks comfortable with over 80 seats out of 151 in Nagpur. The Congress is trailing far behind. No other Maha Vikas Aghadi constituent has reached double-digit figures in the counting so far.
Nagpur recorded a voter turnout of 51 percent in the civic polls held on Thursday. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union minister Nitin Gadkari, and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat were among those who cast their votes.
The Nagpur Municipal Corporation has 151 seats across 38 wards. The BJP contested 143 seats. Its ally, the Shiv Sena, fielded candidates in eight.
Thane Municipal Corporation
Trends from the Thane civic polls show the Mahayuti alliance leading in 41 seats as counting continues. Shinde's Shiv Sena is ahead in 27 seats. The BJP leads in 14.
Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS are leading in one seat each. The NCP is ahead in seven seats. Congress is ahead in two seats.
Among the bigger flashpoints is ward 9 in the Naupada-Kopri administrative division. Here, the two Sena factions are squaring off in two seats. In Diva, the MNS mounted a direct challenge to Shiv Sena in seats 27A, 28C, and 20C in Naupada. It also took on the BJP in seat 11C.
In two Diva seats, candidates from MNS and Sena (UBT) were fielded independently. This possibly signals a calibrated attempt to collectively blunt Sena's dominance in the area.
