The BJP-Shiv Sena Yuti is nearing the majority in the BMC polls, with BJP emerging as the largest party. The alliance’s ‘development agenda’ is credited for its sweeping victory across Maharashtra’s civic bodies, defeating the Thackeray brothers’ plank.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiv Sena Yuti is heading towards the halfway mark of 114 seats in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, as the State Election Commission declared the results for 204 out of 227 seats for India’s richest civic body. The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance has won 110 seats. The BJP has emerged as the largest party in the BMC polls, winning 85 seats while alliance partner Shiv Sena led on 25.
Development Agenda Trumps ‘Marathi Manoos’ Plank
The Thackeray brothers, who joined hands for the Mumbai local body polls to contest on the Marathi manoos plank, trailed behind at 65 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) doing the heavy lifting, winning 60 seats. Congress has won 19 seats, NCP (SP) one, NCP two, and others seven. According to Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis and other BJP leaders, the Yuti recorded such a sweeping victory in the state civic polls due to the “development agenda”. While Uddhav and Raj Thackeray tried to consolidate votes over the Marathi language and the revival of the Marathi manoos identity plank, the saffron Yuti’s development work, including the Metro Aqua Line and Coastal Road, helped them gain a lead in the BMC polls.
In response to MNS chief Raj Thackeray’s ‘rasamalai’ jibe against Tamil Nadu BJP leader K Annamalai, Mumbai BJP chief spokesperson Niranjan Shetty and others celebrated the party’s victory by distributing rasmalai. Raj Thackeray took a sharp jibe at the BJP leader, whom he mockingly referred to as ‘rasmalai’.
Widespread Victories Across Maharashtra
The uncle-nephew duo of Sharad and Ajit Pawar, bringing the two NCP factions together, failed to consolidate in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. Results for 135 of 165 seats have been announced in Pune. The BJP won 96 seats while the NCP could manage only 20, along with three seats won by NCP (SP). Congress won 15 seats here. Of the 127 seats declared in Pimpri-Chinchwad, the Yuti won 90 seats, with the BJP winning 84, helping the alliance clear the majority mark. Ajit Pawar’s NCP won 36, while political stalwart and NCP’s patriarch Sharad Pawar failed to open an account in Pimpri-Chinchwad.
In Nagpur, Devendra Fadnavis’ hometown, the BJP won big, taking 102 of the total 151 seats, defeating the Congress with just 34.
Meanwhile, in the Navi Mumbai civic body polls, the Yuti won by a thumping majority, with the BJP winning 65 seats and Shiv Sena winning 42 of the total 111 seats.
In Ulhasnagar, the BJP won 37 seats, and its alliance partner, the Shinde Sena, won 36 of 78 seats.
In Panvel and Dhule, the BJP has cleared the majority mark for the Mahayuti single-handedly, winning 55 out of 78 seats and 50 out of 74 seats, respectively, while the Sena won two and five seats, respectively.
Saffron ruled in Jalgaon, with the BJP winning 46 seats and the Sena 22 of 75.
In Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad, the BJP alone crossed the majority mark, winning 39 of 78 seats while Shiv Sena and NCP won two and 16 seats respectively. Congress won 18 seats here.
In Jalna, the BJP-Sena won 53 of 65 seats, defeating Congress, which won only nine.
Congress managed to win Latur, gaining 43 of 70 seats, over the BJP’s 22 and the NCP’s 1.
While Congress gave a tough fight, winning 34 seats in Kolhapur, the saffron alliance clinched it, with the BJP winning 26 and Shiv Sena winning 15 out of the total 81 seats.
In Eknath Shinde’s Thane, the Shiv Sena pulled off a victory for the Yuti, winning 75 of 131 seats, while the BJP won 28. The alliance won 104 of 122 seats in Kalyan-Dombivali, easily claiming the victory.
National Leadership Hails ‘Historic’ Mandate
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the BJP-Shiv Sena-led victory in the Maharashtra civic polls, attributing the win to the “pro-people good governance” agenda. Expressing gratitude to the electors, PM Modi said that the NDA’s “vision for development has struck a chord” with the people of the state.
He wrote on X, “Thank you, Maharashtra! The dynamic people of the state bless the NDA’s pro-people, good governance agenda! The results of various municipal corporation elections indicate that the NDA’s bond with the people of Maharashtra has further deepened. Our track record and vision for development have struck a chord. My gratitude to the people across Maharashtra. This is a vote to add momentum to progress and celebrate the glorious culture the state is associated with.”
He also lauded the NDA workers for the win, calling it a “countering the lies of the Opposition.” “I am very proud of every NDA Karyakarta who worked tirelessly among people across Maharashtra. They talked about our alliance’s track record, highlighted our vision for the future, and effectively countered the Opposition’s lies. My best wishes to them,” the Prime Minister wrote.
Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah hailed the victory, stating that the win shows people’s faith in the development policies of the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In an X post, Amit Shah attributed the win to the state government’s development and welfare work. He wrote, “The resounding victory of the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in the Maharashtra municipal elections demonstrates that the people across the country have unwavering faith only in the development policies of the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This historic success is a clear endorsement by the people of the development and welfare work undertaken by the Mahayuti government in the state. Heartfelt gratitude to the people of Maharashtra for this overwhelming support.”
State Leaders Credit ‘Development Agenda’
Addressing the BJP workers at the party office in Mumbai, Devendra Fadnavis said, “BJP and Mahayuti are going to form their 25 mayors after these elections.”
After the Mahayuti recorded a landslide win in the state assembly polls, Fadnavis said that the victory in the civic polls was a testament to people’s trust in PM Modi. “We faced these elections with a vision of development in the leadership of Modi ji. And voters have reciprocated well to our development agenda. And that is why we have a record-breaking mandate in several civic bodies. It is clear that people have certified that they want an agenda of development. These results have also clarified that Maharashtra still trusts Modi ji. I also remember Balasaheb Thackeray on the occasion,” he said.
Further, he said that the alliance will “transform” the cities and will work for the poor and the middle class. The Chief Minister said, “We will transform the cities wherever we rule, and we will try to change the lives of all the poor and middle-class people of those cities. The soul of our work and our thought is Hindutva, and we are very proud of it. So for us, development and Hindutva cannot be separated. Our soul of being Hindu has taken us to the people of Maharashtra, and we are not those who believe in narrow-minded Hindutva, but we believe in an expanded form of Hindutva. Our Hindutva is inclusive of all those who believe themselves to be part of the Indian civilisation.”
Maharashtra Minister and BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule hailed the “double-engine” government for the BJP-Shiv Sena’s emerging victory in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, stating that the people voted for the development of the city. Expressing confidence, Bawankule claimed that the BJP will win a two-thirds majority across 29 Municipal Corporations.
Addressing a press conference in Nagpur, the BJP leader said, “I believe the BJP will win two-thirds of the majority in the state. People have shown trust in Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde’s Mahayuti and Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led double-engine government. People in Mumbai have voted for development. Devendra Fadnavis has prepared the vision for development in Mumbai. Metro railway, Coastal Road… Both (state and Centre) governments believe in developing the city.” Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar thanked the people of Mumbai for reposing faith in the BJP alliance following the civic body elections, stating that the mandate reflects their desire for the city’s development.
An Emotional Win for Kolhe Family in Jalgaon
Maharashtra’s three Kolhe family members, Lalit Kolhe, Sindhutai Kolhe and Piyush Lalit Kolhe shared an emotional moment in Jalgaon after each of them secured a win in the Jalgaon Municipal Corporation (JMC). Lalit Kolhe, the Shiv Sena candidate, had contested from jail after he was arrested in September in relation to a fake call centre scam. While being a member of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Lalit Kolhe had also served as the mayor of Jalgaon in 2018. Afterwards, the BJP leader Seema Bhole took charge as mayor from 2018 to 2021. Since 2021, Jayshree Mahajan of Shiv Sena has been the mayor of JMC.
Speaking to ANI while celebrating, Piyush Kolhe, who won ward number 4 in Jalgaon, said that they have achieved a victory after a lot of people “tried to pull us down”. “Three members of our family won the election. As my mother said, voters have shown their love for Lalit Kolhe. For the past 15-20 days, people tried to pull us down, but truth always triumphs,” Piyush Kolhe told ANI.
Sarita Kolhe, the mother of the accused, Lalit Kolhe, had pledged not to wear slippers until her son is out of jail.
In a show of gratitude towards voters, BJP’s winning candidate, Shilpa Keluskar, on Friday thanked them after winning from the ward 173 in the BMC elections.
A total of 29 municipal corporations went to the polls on Thursday, with counting for all of the local bodies happening today. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)