Maharashtra Local Body Polls 2026: BJP-Shiv Sena Mahayuti Dominates, Thackeray Camps Struggle

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena alliance, collectively known as Mahayuti, has demonstrated a strong performance in the local body elections across 28 municipal corporations in Maharashtra. According to the latest trends by the state election commission, the Mahayuti alliance is leading in critical cities such as Mumbai, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nashik, Nagpur, and Thane.

The BJP's national general secretary, Tarun Chug, expressed jubilation, stating, "It is a day of celebration. 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. This victory clearly shows that people are hurting those who are performing the snake dance to the Pakistan Army's tune, with their votes... This result is a victory for the nationalist forces."

In contrast, the Shiv Sena (UBT) faction, led by Uddhav Thackeray, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) under Ajit Pawar, failed to make significant inroads. The Congress party also faltered across all municipal corporation polls, reflecting a broader decline in its electoral fortunes.

Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Results

The Mahayuti alliance is poised for a historic victory in Mumbai, ending the three-decade reign of Shiv Sena in the city. According to the latest trends, the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena alliance is leading in 117 wards in Mumbai. The BJP is leading in 86 seats, while Shiv Sena is leading in 31 seats. The Shiv Sena (UBT) alliance has crossed the 68-mark, with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leading in 9 seats, the UBT Sena in 58 seats, and the NCP (SP) in 1 seat. Ajit Pawar's NCP is leading in 1 seat, while the Congress party has leads in only 10 seats.

In high-profile ward battles, Sena (UBT)'s Foram Parmar is trailing in Ward 1, while Gita Bhandari of the same faction is ahead in Ward 32. Shinde Sena’s Varsha Tembelkar is leading in Ward 51, and BJP candidates Deepak Tavde, Ujjwal Veti, and Neil Somaiya are showing strong leads. Congress’ Asha Deepak Kale clinched Ward 183, offering a rare bright spot for the party. Mumbai recorded a voter turnout of 52.94 percent, according to data shared by the State Election Commission.

Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) Results

The united Pawars suffered a significant setback in the Pune municipal elections. According to the latest trends, the BJP is leading in 90 out of the 165 seats in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). The Pawar-Pawar combo, however, managed to secure only 20 seats. In the first results from Ward No. 20 in the Shankar Maharaj Math-Bibewadi area, three BJP candidates—Rajendra Shilimkar, Tanvi Divekar, and Mansi Deshpande—were elected, while NCP's Gaurav Ghule also emerged victorious, defeating BJP's Mahendra Sundecha.

The last elections of the PMC were held in 2017, eight years ago. Murlidhar Mohol, currently the Union minister of state for civil aviation and cooperation, served as the mayor of Pune until November 2019.

Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) Results

The BJP is on track to sweep the Pimpri-Chinchwad local body polls. According to the latest trends, the BJP is leading in 70 seats, while the NCP, led by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, is leading in 40 seats. Both parties contested the polls independently in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad. The BJP had single-handedly held power in the previous five-year terms from 2017 to 2022 in Pune and PCMC civic bodies, after which the Administrator had control of the civic body due to a delay in civic polls after it was put on hold by the Supreme Court on the reservation issue.

Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) Results

The Mahayuti alliance also registered a solid performance in the Nagpur local body polls. According to the latest trends, the Mahayuti alliance has crossed the majority mark in the 151 seats of the local body. The BJP is looking comfortable with over 80 seats out of 151 in Nagpur. The Congress is trailing far behind, while no other Maha Vikas Aghadi constituent has reached double-digit figures in the counting so far. Nagpur recorded a voter turnout of 51 percent in the civic polls held on Thursday, a civic official said.

Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) Results

Trends from the Thane civic polls show the Mahayuti alliance leading in 41 seats as counting continues, with Shinde's Shiv Sena ahead in 27 seats and the BJP in 14. Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS are leading in one seat each, NCP is ahead in seven seats, and Congress is ahead on 2 seats. Among the bigger flashpoints is ward 9 in the Naupada-Kopri administrative division, where the two Sena factions are squaring off in two seats. In Diva, MNS mounted a direct challenge to Shiv Sena in seats 27A, 28C, and 20C in Naupada, while also taking on BJP in seat 11C. In two Diva seats, candidates from MNS and Sena (UBT) were fielded independently, possibly signaling a calibrated attempt to collectively blunt Sena's dominance.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat were among those who cast their votes. The Nagpur Municipal Corporation has 151 seats across 38 wards, with the BJP contesting 143 seats and its ally, the Shiv Sena, fielding candidates in eight.