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

Congress leads in Chandrapur, Latur amid civic poll setbacks

Despite trailing in a majority of civic bodies across the state, the Congress has found some encouragement in Chandrapur and Latur, where it is leading according to early trends.

Television channel reports showed the party ahead in 15 seats in Chandrapur, while in Latur it was leading on 43 seats

AIMIM leads in Malegaon as Shiv Sena is close behind

Even as the BJP-led Mahayuti is projected to dominate the Maharashtra civic polls, Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM has emerged as a strong contender in Malegaon Municipal Corporation.

According to trends aired by television channels, the AIMIM was leading in 20 seats in Malegaon, while the Shiv Sena was close behind with a lead in 18 seats, making the contest a tight one, reported the Hindustan Times.

Maharashtra civic results back PM Modi’s vision: Tarun Chugh

BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh on Friday described the Maharashtra civic poll results as a moment of celebration, saying the outcome reflected public endorsement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies and vision.

“It is a day of celebration,” Chugh said. “Today, in Maharashtra, the people of all municipal committees and municipal corporations have blessed PM Modi’s policies, his nationalism and his commitment to a developed India.”

He claimed the verdict sent a strong political message. “This victory clearly shows that people are hurting those who are performing the snake dance to the Pakistan Army’s tune, with their votes,” he said, calling the outcome “a victory for the nationalist forces.”

Chugh also took aim at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of questioning democratic processes after unfavourable results. “Before the result was announced, Rahul Gandhi, like the crown prince of the Gandhi-Nehru family, began playing his old tune in a new way,” he said. “Sometimes the EVM is wrong, sometimes the elections are wrong, sometimes the voter list is wrong, and now the ink is wrong.”

In a sharp closing remark, Chugh said, “Rahul, don’t bother cleaning the mirror. When you wipe the mirror, the stains on your face won’t disappear. Your actions are like cleaning the mirror while trying to blame someone else for your defeat. The people of the country, including Maharashtra, are clearly expressing their disapproval through their votes.”

BJP leads in Nagpur civic polls as counting continues

The BJP was in the lead in 84 seats, while the Congress was ahead in 41, as counting for the Nagpur Municipal Corporation elections continued from Friday morning, officials said.

Polling for the 151-member civic body took place on Thursday, alongside elections to 28 other municipal corporations across Maharashtra.

In Nagpur, four candidates of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) were also leading under the four-member panel system, in which each panel represents four wards. The AIMIM candidates — Alisha Khan, Reshma Nandgawli, Sofia Sheikh and Pawan Koye — were ahead in Ward No. 3 of the Asinagar zone, an area with a sizeable Muslim population.

The AIMIM contested six seats in the city, where party president and Lok Sabha MP Assuddin Owaisi addressed a rally during the campaign.

The BJP fielded candidates in 143 seats, while its ally Shiv Sena contested eight. The Congress put up nominees in all 151 seats.

In the previous NMC elections, the BJP had secured 108 seats, followed by the Congress with 28, the BSP with 10, the undivided Shiv Sena with two and the united NCP with one.

(With agency inputs)

Shiv Sena-BJP focused on development, Mumbai to get alliance mayor: Dinesh Shinde

Shiv Sena media coordinator Dinesh Shinde on Friday said the Shiv Sena–BJP alliance had focused on development rather than political accusations during the campaign, and would continue working to take Mumbai forward.

“During elections, parties keep making allegations against each other. But Shiv Sena and BJP consistently placed the agenda of development before the people. To move Mumbai ahead and ensure its growth, the Shiv Sena–BJP government will keep working,” Shinde said.

Addressing the controversy over the ink mark, he clarified that the ink used was officially approved. “The ink was authorised, even though it was in marker form. Only approved ink was used,” he said.

Shinde also expressed confidence about the civic leadership in the city, asserting that Mumbai would get a mayor from the Shiv Sena–BJP alliance.

Maharashtra civic polls: Celebrations at BJP HQ as Mahayuti leads

Celebrations broke out at the BJP headquarters in Delhi on Friday, with party workers distributing sweets as trends from the Maharashtra civic body elections showed the BJP–Shiv Sena-led Mahayuti in the lead.

Watch: BJP celebrates Pune wins by Sai Thopte, Ganesh Ghosh

BJP workers continued celebrations in Pune on Friday after party candidates Sai Thopte and Ganesh Ghosh secured victories in the Maharashtra civic body elections.

Nitesh Rane hails Mahayuti lead in BMC polls with Hindutva pitch

Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Nitesh Rane on Friday welcomed the BJP–Shiv Sena-led Mahayuti’s strong performance in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections, striking a Hindutva note as the alliance moved ahead in Mumbai’s keenly watched civic battle.

Responding to early trends, Rane shared a post in Hindi stating, “Jo Hindu ki baat karega woh Maharashtra pe raj karega (Those who speak for Hindu interests will rule Maharashtra),” followed by “Jai Shri Ram”.

His remarks came as the BJP and its ally Shiv Sena crossed the majority threshold in the high-stakes BMC polls, with the ruling combine leading in more than 114 of the city’s 227 wards as vote counting continued.

BVA regains lead in Vasai-Virar civic polls

The Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) has regained the upper hand in the Vasai-Virar civic polls after a brief setback during counting.

Early trends through the morning had consistently shown the BVA in front, though the BJP temporarily surged ahead by taking the lead in around 50 seats. As counting progressed, the equation shifted once again in favour of the regional alliance.

According to the latest trends, the BVA is now leading in 61 seats, re-establishing its dominance in the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation. The BJP, meanwhile, is ahead in 24 seats, reported the Hindustan Times.

The fluctuating trends reflect a closely watched contest in the twin-city region, where margins narrowed and changed repeatedly as vote counting continued.

BJP’s Tejasvi Ghosalkar wins Dahisar ward in BMC polls

BJP nominee Tejasvi Ghosalkar registered a decisive win in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls, defeating Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Dhanashree Vilas Kolge, according to official results announced on Friday.

Ghosalkar, who contested from ward number 2 in Dahisar, polled 16,484 votes, while Kolge secured 5,729 votes, officials said. The BJP candidate won by a margin of 10,755 votes.

In neighbouring ward number 1 of Dahisar West, Shiv Sena’s Rekha Yadav emerged victorious after securing 7,544 votes, comfortably defeating Congress candidate Sheetal Mhatre, who garnered 5,070 votes. Yadav’s winning margin was close to 2,500 votes.

Meanwhile, early trends indicated that the BJP and its ally Shiv Sena were leading in the crucial BMC elections across 210 of Mumbai’s 227 wards as vote counting progressed on Friday.

Although the State Election Commission had not issued an official update, television channels reported the BJP ahead in 92 wards, while the Shiv Sena, led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, was leading in 26 wards.

(With agency inputs)