Mumbai: With the landslide victory of the BJP-led NDA in Bihar, Maharashtra’s ruling Maha Yuti alliance is in a pole position in the mega local bodies polls which comes months after the 2024 Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, however, continues to raise the issue of vote-chori saying that what happened in Bihar now is a repeat of Maharashtra 2024 Assembly polls.
The State Election Commission has announced polls for 246 nagar parishads and 42 nagar panchayats, which will be held on December 2, 2025 followed by counting the next day.
The elections to 29 municipal corporations besides the 32 zilla parishads and 336 panchayat samities will be announced later.
The Supreme Court has directed the process of local bodies polls in Maharashtra to be completed by January 31, 2026.
While the Maha Yuti alliance comprising BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP has principally agreed to pre-poll and post-poll alliances, the Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) are yet to take a call.
The Congress has made it clear it will not have alliance with Raj Thackeray-led MNS and Asaduddin Owaisi-headed AIMIM in the local bodies elections. In Mumbai and other major cities, the Congress wants to go alone.
Uddhav’s party has been pitching for inclusion of MNS in the MVA, however, Congress seems to be opposed to it because of Raj’s stand on North Indian migrants and Muslims, which is a strong Congress vote bank.
“It is a complete Maharashtra pattern. There’s no need to be shocked by the results of the Bihar Assembly elections. Looking at the national agenda of the Election Commission and BJP, a different outcome than this was simply not possible! A complete Maharashtra pattern! Those who were certain to come to power were wiped out within 50,” Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said.
“The issue of match-fixing has not been resolved yet. Free and fair elections must take place. Election rules have been violated in Bihar,” he said.
The BJP, however, refuted the charges and slammed the opposition parties.
“Vote theft…EVM…double voters…By spreading such rumours, the people of Delhi who spoke white lies have been taught a lesson by the public. Now the people of Maharashtra and Mumbai will soon give them their “verdict”,” said BJP leader and state Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar.