BMC poll results: BJP-led alliance crosses majority; Thackeray cousins trail
BJP-led alliance was ahead in 119 wards, with the BJP itself leading in 88
BJP-led alliance was ahead in 119 wards, with the BJP itself leading in 88
BJP-led alliance was ahead in 119 wards, with the BJP itself leading in 88
New Delhi: The BJP-led alliance has moved beyond the majority threshold in the fiercely contested Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, as per early counting trends, dealing a blow to the Thackeray cousins’ bid to hold on to control of the country’s wealthiest civic body.
As counting progressed for the elections to 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra, the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the single-largest party in Mumbai’s civic polls, with its alliance establishing a clear lead.
In the BMC, the BJP-led alliance was ahead in 119 wards, with the BJP itself leading in 88 and the Shiv Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ahead in 31, reported IANS.
The combined performance of the Thackeray cousins, however, appeared weaker than anticipated.
Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) was leading in 64 wards, while Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) was ahead in six wards, taking their combined tally to 70.
Despite attempts to project unity and consolidate support, the cousins struggled to keep pace with the BJP-led alliance's momentum.
The BMC election has drawn intense attention due to the corporation’s enormous political and financial clout.
With an annual budget of over ₹74,400 crore, control of the BMC has long been a prized objective in Maharashtra’s political arena. The polls, conducted after nearly 9 years, further heightened their significance.
Elsewhere in the state, trends also strongly favoured the BJP-led alliance. Across the 29 municipal corporations, the BJP was leading in 909 wards, while its ally, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, was ahead in 237 wards, underscoring the ruling alliance’s dominance in urban local governance.
Pune emerged as another closely watched contest, where rival factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and his uncle, Rajya Sabha MP Sharad Pawar, came together for the municipal elections. The results there are being viewed as a key indicator of the alliance’s strength at the grassroots level.
Polling for 2,869 seats across 893 wards in the 29 civic bodies was held on Thursday. Around 3.48 crore voters were eligible to participate, determining the fate of 15,931 candidates, including nearly 1,700 contenders in Mumbai.
The final outcomes are expected to bring about major changes in Maharashtra’s urban political landscape.