Maharashtra civic polls: BJP captures BMC after 25 years; saffron surge across state

Fadnavis hails ‘unprecedented mandate’

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the Bharatiya Janata Party and its Mahayuti allies had received an unprecedented mandate, reflecting public approval of the development agenda being pursued and the people’s trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

BJP retains power in Nashik Municipal Corporation

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday won power in the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) comfortably by winning 72 of the 122 seats.

The party had controlled the civic body in the previous term too. Notably, the saffron party's victory came in the aftermath of an intense agitation against the corporation's plan to cut hundreds of trees in Tapovan area for a Sadhugram for the coming Kumbh Mela.

Winning 72 seats, the saffron party vindicated its decision to contest the polls on its own. Its state-level ally, Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, stood a distant second with 26 seats, while the other ally, Nationalist Congress Party led by another Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, could win only four seats. The Shiv Sena and NCP had formed an alliance to take on the BJP.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) won only 15 seats, whereas its partner Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) could win only one seat. 

Mahayuti will elect Mumbai mayor, says BJP's Satam; calls verdict victory for Hindutva

Mumbai BJP chief Ameet Satam on Friday said the Mahayuti would elect the mayor of the metropolis after discussions.

Trends and results showed the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance were on course to win the polls to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The two are part of the ruling Mahayuti in the state along with Ajit Pawar's NCP, which fought the civic polls in the metropolis separately.

"The Mahayuti will elect its mayor. We will discuss and then finalise," Satam told reporters in Mumbai. The BJP's victory in Mumbai reflected the support of Mumbaikars and Marathi people, he added.

It is an endorsement of the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the governance of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Satam asserted.

"Voters rejected attempts by some sections to alter the character of the city," he said while terming the Mahayuti's performance as a victory for Hindutva.

BJP bags Navi Mumbai, Jalgaon as results of 11 of 29 municipal corporations declared

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday won the municipal corporations of Navi Mumbai and Jalgaon while the Congress emerged as the single largest party in Bhiwandi and Kolhapur as the results of 11 of the 29 civic bodies were declared.

As per the State Election Commission data, the BJP won 65 of the 111 seats in Navi Mumbai. The Shiv Sena won 43, Shiv Sena (UBT) won two seats, while an independent candidate won in one ward. In Jalgaon, the BJP won 46 of the 75 seats, Shiv Sena 22, NCP one, Shiv Sena (UBT) five, independent one. In Panvel, BJP won 55 of the 78 seats, Congress four, Shiv Sena two, Shiv Sena (UBT) five and others 10. The BJP also won civic polls in Sangli-Miraj- Kupwada, Jalna, Dhule, Ulhasnagar, Malegaon, Ahilyanagar, Bhiwandi-Nizampur and Kolhapur.

Four ex-mayors win in Mumbai civic polls, all from Uddhav's Shiv Sena

Four former mayors and three ex-deputy mayors emerged victorious in the Mumbai civic elections on Friday (January 16). The former mayors are Kishori Pednekar, Shraddha Jadhav, Vishakha Raut and Milind Vaidya. The three former deputy mayors are Suhas Wadkar, Hemangi Waralikar, and Alka Kerkar.

All the four former mayors are from the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray).

These victories materialised amid a bruising poll campaign centred around who the next mayor of the metropolis would be, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena all playing the Hindu-Marathi identity card.

Pednekar won from Ward 199, Jadhav from Ward 202, Raut from Ward 191 and Vaidya from Ward 182.

Former deputy mayors Suhas Wadkar won from Ward 41, Hemangi Waralikar from Ward 193, and Alka Kerkar won from ward 98. Wadkar and Waralikar are from the Sena (UBT), Kerkar belongs to the BJP.

Trust in PM Modi; Gen Z also voting for party, says BJP

The BJP on Friday hailed Mahayuti's performance in the Maharashtra civic polls as "historic" and said the election results reflect the people's "growing trust" in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Breaking the nearly three-decade-old dominance of the undivided Shiv Sena, the BJP on Friday emerged as the single largest party in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, and also triumphed in Pune, where it made mincemeat of the alliance of NCP factions.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, party national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said, "The historic and unprecedented victory of the BJP-led Mahayuti in the polls clearly shows that people's acceptance and trust in the BJP and the NDA under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership is continuously growing." The "immense popularity" that the BJP has gained under Modi's leadership makes this victory an important milestone in the party's "expansion" with people's growing support, he said.

"Just a few days ago, the BJP secured a majority in Thiruvananthapuram during the Kerala Municipal Corporation elections," the BJP Rajya Sabha MP added.

BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh said poll results indicate that people of Maharashtra have voted for "nationalism" and "punished" those who indulge in politics that echoes "Pakistan's agenda".

"The mandate received today in Maharashtra's municipal councils and municipal corporations clearly shows that the people of the state have endorsed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies, his nationalism and his commitment to building a Viksit Bharat," he told the press conference.

This result represents the victory of "nationalist forces", he added.

Trivedi said the results of the Maharashtra civic polls indicate that the younger generation has also "strongly and enthusiastically" supported the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance.

This makes it clear that the 'Gen Z' has voted in favour of 'VB', meaning 'Viksit Bharat', he said.

"Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country is steadily moving forward on the path of a Viksit Bharat. In Maharashtra, this journey is being led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis," he added.

NDA civic poll wins deepen bond with Maharashtra: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hailed the NDA’s performance in the Maharashtra civic polls, thanking voters for backing the alliance and praising party workers for their efforts on the ground.

In a series of posts on X, Modi said, “Thank you Maharashtra!” and added that the state’s voters had endorsed the NDA’s governance agenda. “The dynamic people of the state bless the NDA’s agenda of pro-people good governance,” he said.

The Prime Minister credited the results in the municipal corporation elections to the NDA’s connection with the electorate. “The results of various municipal corporation elections indicate that NDA’s bond with the people of Maharashtra has further deepened,” Modi said, noting that the alliance’s “track record and vision for development have struck a chord”.

Calling the verdict a push for growth, he said it was “a vote to add momentum to progress and celebrate the glorious culture the state is associated with”.

Modi also lauded party workers for their role in the campaign. “I am very proud of every NDA Karyakarta who worked tirelessly among people across Maharashtra,” he said, adding that they spoke about the alliance’s achievements, outlined its plans for the future and “effectively countered the lies of the Opposition”.

“I am proud of every NDA worker across Maharashtra who stays with the people and works day and night tirelessly,” he said, extending his “heartfelt best wishes” to them.

BMC poll trends will change by midnight, says Sena (UBT)’s Raut

 Amid trends showing the BJP-Shiv Sena's aggressive march in the Mumbai civic polls, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said the real picture will emerge only at midnight when the current indications will change after all votes are counted.

Counting of votes for Mumbai and 28 other civic bodies in Maharashtra, which went to polls a day before, is ongoing.

Raut said the BJP may have performed well in the rest of Maharashtra. However, as counting will continue until midnight, the current trends showing defeat of the Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS alliance will reverse.

As per the trends shown by television channels for 210 out of the 227 seats in Mumbai, the BJP is leading in 90 seats, and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in 28 electoral wards. The Ajit Pawar-led NCP, which contested separately, is leading in three wards.

In the opposition camp, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and its ally, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, are leading in 57 and nine wards, respectively. The Congress, which contested in alliance with the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, is ahead in 15 wards, and others in eight.

Taking a dig at Shiv Sena, Raut said the Eknath Shinde-led party has not been able to do anything outside Thane.

"The way it is being shown that Shiv Sena (UBT) is trailing behind... Current figures (showing the BJP-Shiv Sena victory in BMC polls) will reverse as it's a neck-and-neck fight, and counting of votes is ongoing," the Rajya Sabha member told reporters.

He said the real picture will become clear only at midnight.

Separately, Raut states on X that counting of votes in ward numbers 60 to 75 is yet to start.

The BJP contested 137 seats, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena 90, while the NCP, headed by Ajit Pawar, fielded candidates separately on 94 seats.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) had fielded 163 candidates, the MNS 52, the Congress 143, and the VBA (Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi) 46. (PTI)

Shiv Sena-BJP win 50 seats to dominate Thane civic polls

The Shiv Sena–BJP alliance emerged as the dominant force in the 131-member Thane Municipal Corporation on Friday, securing a combined 50 seats as counting continued in the home turf of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

According to official data, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena won 33 wards, while the BJP secured 17 seats. The alliance had contested 79 and 38 seats respectively in the January 15 polls.

The Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM also made gains, winning five of the 15 seats it contested. The party had just two corporators in the previous TMC term.

Mahayuti ally NCP, led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, contested separately and has won seven seats so far. The Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) secured eight seats out of 40 contested, as per trends.

In contrast, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) suffered a major setback, managing to win only one of the 64 seats it fought. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, headed by Raj Thackeray, failed to win any seat.

Other parties, including the AAP and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, also drew blanks. Of the 174 independents in the fray, only one has won so far. A total of 72 results have been declared, with 59 seats yet to be decided.

(With agency inputs)

ISLAM party tops Malegaon civic polls, AIMIM second as BJP lags

The Indian Secular Largest Assembly of Maharashtra (ISLAM) party has emerged as the single largest outfit in Malegaon Municipal Corporation in Nashik district, trends and civic poll results showed on Friday.

It has won 35 out of 84 seats in the civic body, while the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) was in second place with 21 seats.

The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has got 18 seats, followed by five for the Samajwadi Party and three for the Congress. The Bharatiya Janata Party has been able to win just two seats in the Muslim-dominated powerloom town.

While voting for 29 municipal corporations took place on Thursday, announcement of results is underway. (PTI)