Mahayuti Dominates Maharashtra Local Body Polls, BJP Emerges Single-Largest Party; Opposition Blames EC

Mumbai: The ruling Mahayuti alliance on Sunday claimed a decisive win in the Maharashtra local bodies, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerging as the single largest party.

Results for 288 Maharashtra Nagar Parishad and panchayat seats have been declared where BJP had emerged ahead in 129 municipal councils, compared to 94 in the 2017 elections. As a coalition, the Mahayuti led in 215 of the 288 municipal councils, representing nearly 75 per cent. In terms of corporator seats, the BJP claimed to have increased its tally from 1,602 in 2017 to 3,325 this time, while the Mahayuti alliance was leading in 4,331 of the 6,952 seats.

Maharashtra Minister and BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, speaking to the media in Jalna, said the Mahayuti, comprising the BJP, NCP, and Shiv Sena, was poised to win with a two-thirds majority and around a 51 per cent vote share.

"The people of Maharashtra are with the Mahayuti. They believe that only the Mahayuti government can bring development to the municipal, metropolitan, and district council areas," Bawankule said, adding that the vision of a developed Maharashtra belonged to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the alliance government. 

As counting progressed and trends emerged, senior leaders of the alliance said the results reflected growing acceptance of the Mahayuti's leadership. 

Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar said the outcome indicated statewide endorsement of Chief Minister Fadnavis. "Under the leadership of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the results of the municipal and city council elections announced today clearly show that his leadership has been accepted across the state," Narwekar said, noting that the BJP had secured a landslide lead, winning more than double the seats of other parties.

The Opposition Congress and the Shiv Sena (UBT) have virtually conceded defeat, blaming the Election Commission for "facilitating" the victory of the Mahayuti.

Eknath Shinde on Results

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, reacting to the trends from Thane, thanked voters and party workers, saying the Mahayuti's performance followed its success in the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly elections. He said the Shiv Sena had emerged as the second-largest party in the state and rejected claims that it was limited to Thane, asserting that the party had expanded its footprint across Maharashtra.

Jolt To The Congress

Earlier, just a day before the elections, senior Congress leader from Pune Aba Bagul, who was suspended for rebellion during the Assembly polls, joined the Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena. Bagul, a former Pune deputy mayor and his son Hemant Bagul, along with hundreds of his supporters, formally joined the Shiv Sena in the presence of the Deputy Chief Minister at a function held in Thane.

What Shine And Fadnavis Said Before Polls

Ahead of the civic polls , Eknath Shinde expressed confidence in the Mahayuti alliance. Speaking to reporters in Thane, Shinde said, "The Mahayuti alliance contested the Lok Sabha elections, it contested the assembly elections, and it will also contest the municipal elections, and the Mahayuti alliance will win."

Earlier this week, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said it was not appropriate for municipal bodies to function under administrators for long periods in a democratic system.

"I am very happy that the State Election Commission has announced the elections. We welcome this decision. In a democracy, it is not appropriate for a municipal corporation to be run by administrators for an extended period. We are confident that the people will give us a mandate after seeing our development work," Fadnavis said.

Speaking on seat-sharing and alliances, the Chief Minister had said that the ruling Mahayuti alliance is working towards contesting the elections together in most parts of the state.

"We are trying to contest the elections as a Mahayuti, and the Mahayuti will be in place at most locations. In one or two places, there will also be an alliance between the NCP and the BJP," he added. 

Polling for the 264 municipal councils and nagar panchayats of the state -- held after a almost a decade - took place on December 2 around 20-plus municipal councils and nagar panchayats. The counting of votes started at 10 am today.

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