BJP–Shiv Sena Storm Sinks MVA, Key Takeaways from the Elections
Mumbai: In elections being seen as a rehearsal for the upcoming municipal corporation polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged as the number one party in the two-phase municipal council and municipal panchayat elections held across 288 seats in the state. BJP’s alliance partners — Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP — secured the second and third positions respectively, while the performance of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) proved to be extremely disappointing. Among MVA constituents, only the Congress put up a relatively satisfactory showing.
Despite contesting separately in most places, the Mahayuti alliance delivered an impressive performance. According to the results declared on Sunday, Mahayuti candidates won the post of municipal president in 207 out of 288 seats. In contrast, the MVA managed victories in just 44 seats, while other parties and independents won 37 seats.
Breaking down the numbers, the BJP won 117 seats, Shinde’s Shiv Sena secured 53, and the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP won 37 seats. Congress won 28 seats — the highest among MVA allies — while the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena won 9 seats and the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP managed victories in only 7 seats. Ahead of elections to 29 municipal corporations, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), these results have delivered a major setback to Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, and Raj Thackeray. Notably, Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) failed to open its account in these elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the mandate as a victory for development-oriented politics, stating that the people of Maharashtra are firmly standing with development. He said the results reflect unwavering faith in the people-centric development vision of the central and state governments.
State BJP president Ravindra Chavan said the public has rejected the opposition’s “false narrative,” calling the outcome a true mandate. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari termed it a victory for party workers. Maharashtra minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said Mahayuti is leading on nearly two-thirds of the seats.
Meanwhile, Congress and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena alleged that the Election Commission helped Mahayuti secure victory. State Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal sarcastically congratulated the Election Commission. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut accused the ruling alliance of EVM manipulation and misuse of money, while party leader Ambadas Danve claimed Mahayuti’s win was achieved through money power and muscle power.
On the ground, Congress registered a major win in Chandrapur’s Brahmapuri Municipal Council, capturing the president’s post and 21 of 23 seats. In Sangli district’s Uran-Islampur Municipal Council, Sharad Pawar-led NCP won 23 seats along with the president’s post. In Palghar district, Shiv Sena won the president’s posts in Palghar and Dahanu, while BJP registered victories in Jawhar and Wada.
The BJP and its allies have consistently projected the outcome as a validation of their development-focused campaign. Prime Minister Modi said the results show people’s trust in “people-centric development,” while Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis emphasized that the alliance avoided personal attacks and instead focused on governance, infrastructure, and future plans for cities and towns.