BJP-led “Mahayuti” Sweeping Maharashtra Civic Elections, Thackerays out of BMC, Pawars Faded out in Pune
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Jan 16: The BJP-led “Mahayuti” is all set to sweep the civil elections across Maharashtra including the most prestigious and Asia’s richest civic body the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and changing the state’s political equations virtually throwing to the wayside the parties that hitherto ruled supreme in their respective areas.
The BJP – Shiv Sena led by the deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde combine has wrested the 227-member BMC having won or taken unassailable lead in 121 seats with the Thackeray brothers despite reunion ousted from power for the first time in more than 25 years. While the BJP has won or are leading in 91 seats, the Shinde Shiv Sena was ahead in 30 seats. The hitherto ruling undivided Shiv Sena, this time a combination of the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena led by his cousin brother Raj Thackeray was ahead in 88 seats including 78 led by the Shiv Sena (UBT) and 10 by the MNS.
In the other closely-watched Pune and Pimpri-Chichwad municipal corporations where the Pawar factions reunited to avoid divisions of votes, the BJP raced far ahead against the combined Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) winning over 80 seats in the 165-member Pune Municipal Corporation, hitherto the stronghold of Pawars, with the nearest rival NCP left way behind with just nine seats.
Overall, even as the counting of votes was still on in most of the civic bodies, the BJP-Shiv Sena (Shinde) looked set to wrest control of 24 of the 29 municipalities and municipal corporations in the state while the Congress, which was considered to be a dead force in Maharashtra, was leading in four civic bodies after taking control of Latur municipal corporation.
In the BMC, whose annual budget exceeds Rs 74,400 crore, there were 1,700 candidates for 227 seats in the elections that were held after nine years and a four-year delay. In the last elections held in 2017, the united Shiv Sena (comprising Eknath Shinde) had retained its grip on the BMC that it had been controlling for decades.
The overall figures for 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra too tilt in the BJP’s favour. An overall tally shows the BJP is ahead in 1212 wards, while ally Shiv Sena, led by Shinde, is leading in 305 wards. In the party-wise tally, the Congress stands third, with leads in 240 seats, a major chunk coming from Bhinwadi Nizampur, Nagpur, and Kolhapur. The Shiv Sena (UBT) is fourth, leading in 139 seats, followed by Ajit Pawar’s NCP (127).
Besides Mumbai, Pune is also being keenly watched since two rival factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and his uncle Rajya Sabha MP Sharad Pawar, have formed an alliance for the municipal elections. Even as the NCP is swept out of power in Pune after decades, the results indicate that the faction led by the nephew Ajit Pawar was ahead of his uncle and veteran leader Sharad Pawar who seemed to be losing his hold on the Pune voters.
Polling for 2,869 seats across 893 wards in the 29 civic bodies was held on Thursday. A voter turnout of 52.94% was recorded to decide the fate of 15,931 candidates, including 1,700 in Mumbai. Besides Mumbai and Pune, votes are also being counted in the municipal corporations of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar, Kalyan-Dombivli, Kolhapur, Nagpur, Solapur, Amravati, Akola, Nashik, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune, Ulhasnagar, Thane, Chandrapur, Parbhani, Mira-Bhayandar, Nanded-Waghala, Panvel, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Latur, Malegaon, Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad, Jalgaon, Ahilyanagar, Dhule, Jalna, and Ichalkaranji.
The last BMC elections were held in 2017. Based on the schedule, the elections were set for 2022 but were delayed due to a series of factors. Among the key reasons for the delay in elections was due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Other reasons behind the delay were the dispute over the delimitation of BMC seats, and a legal battle over reservation for Other Backwards Classes (OBC) in local body polls.
However, since 2017, the political landscape in Maharashtra has undergone significant changes, marked by splits within the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party. In 2022, the Shiv Sena split into two factions, one led by Uddhav Thackeray and the other by Eknath Shinde. The Nationalist Congress Party split in 2023 into two factions – one led by Ajit Pawar and the other by Sharad Pawar.
From these splits, the Shinde Sena and NCP (AP) joined the alliance led by the BJP, forming the Mahayuti alliance, while the NCP (SP), Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress came together to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance.
On Maharashtra civil poll results, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said, “It is premature to comment before the full results are out. Counting in Mumbai is still underway and final results are expected by midnight. The figures being circulated are false, as counting has not yet begun in around 100 wards, including strongholds like Bhandup–Vikhroli, Dadar–Parel, and Bandra.”
Amid Mahayuti’s major gains in the BMC result for Mumbai, Shiv Sena leader Milind Deora has hailed the victory against the Thackerays. Taking to X, the Sena MP said the BMC result has “put an end to the soap opera of Mumbai politics.”
“The BMC results have put an end to the soap opera of #Mumbai politics, proving the city prefers progress & accountability over melodrama & masala,” wrote Deora. “Eknath Shinde ji’s Shiv Sena is the true #ShivSena & family drama failed to steal the spotlight. The golden era for India’s commercial & cultural hub is just beginning,” he added further.
The Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has hailed BJP’s victory in the civil elections in the state. Taking to X. the BJP leader said – “Under the visionary leadership of Hon PM Narendra Modi Ji, along with the guidance of BJP National President and Hon Union Minister J. P. Nadda ji, Hon Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amitbhai Shah, BJP National Working President Nitin Nabin ji, and the tireless efforts of BJP State President MLA Ravindra Chavan and all the party workers, BJP has achieved a momentous victory in the state once again!” He also called Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan and Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam to congratulate them.
The union minister Nitin Gadkari congratulated Chief Minister Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde as well as party workers as trends showed the BJP-Shiv Sena were set to win comfortably in most of the 29 municipal corporations where votes are being counted, including the country’s financial capital Mumbai. Maharashtra’s journey towards progress will gain even more strength under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leadership of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, he said.
