Maharashtra local body polls: BJP dominates five out of six divisions, wins over 2,400 seats

Mumbai, Dec 23 (PTI) The ruling BJP has emerged as the most dominant force in the recently-held municipal council and nagar panchayat elections in Maharashtra, securing the highest number of seats in five out of the state's six administrative divisions, accounting for 30 to 50 per cent of the seats in most regions.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 2,431 seats, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena 1,025, and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) 966, according to the data released by the State Election Commission (SEC).

The three parties are part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance.

Among the opposition parties, the Congress won 824 seats, while its Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies - NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT), won 256 and 244 seats, respectively.

The only exception was the Konkan division, where the Shiv Sena, led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, outperformed the BJP. Of the 647 seats decided in Konkan, the Shinde-led Sena won 229 seats, or about 35.4 per cent, while the BJP followed with 192 seats, translating to nearly 29.7 per cent.

This made Konkan the sole division in which the BJP did not finish at the top.

Ajit Pawar's NCP could win 88 seats there.

In the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division, the BJP retained the lead but faced stiff competition from its Mahayuti ally, the NCP.

The BJP won 355 of the 1,244 seats, or around 28.5 per cent, while the NCP secured 301 seats, about 24.2 per cent, narrowing the gap considerably. The Shiv Sena finished third with 153 seats, and the Congress slipped to fourth place in this division, winning 147 seats.

The BJP's strongest showing came in the Nagpur division, where it secured 615 of the 1,234 seats, amounting to nearly 49.8 per cent of the total - the highest divisional share for the party across the state.

Interestingly, the Congress emerged as the runner-up here with 321 seats, or roughly 26 per cent, marking one of its relatively better performances. NCP and Shiv Sena could win 63 and 56 seats, respectively, in the Nagpur division.

A similar pattern was observed in the Amravati division, where the BJP led with 381 of the 1,121 seats (approximately 34 per cent), while the Congress came second with 226 seats (approximately 20.2 per cent). The Shiv Sena (141) and the NCP (76) trailed behind, highlighting a bipolar contest favouring the BJP and the Congress in this region.

In the Nashik division, the BJP again topped the chart with 471 of 1,224 seats, approximately 38.5 per cent, followed by the Shiv Sena with 269 seats, or nearly 22 per cent. The NCP (147) finished third, while the Congress (54) lagged further behind with just over four per cent per cent of the seats.

The Pune division saw the BJP win 417 of the 1,381 seats, approximately 30.2 per cent, maintaining its lead, while the NCP remained a strong challenger with 291 seats, approximately 21.1 per cent. Notably, unrecognised parties and independents together accounted for a significant share of seats in Pune, underlining the continued influence of local factors in civic elections.

Campaign dynamics also played a role in shaping the outcome. Leaders and cadres of the ruling Mahayuti - comprising the BJP, the Shiv Sena and the NCP held numerous rallies across divisions, with senior leaders actively canvassing.

In contrast, the campaigns of the Congress, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) were largely decentralised, with most electioneering driven by local leaders rather than high-profile state-level figures.

As many as 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats went to the polls on December 2 and 20. The counting took place on December 21.

Elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the Mumbai civic body, will be held on January 15, and he results will be declared the next day. PTI ND NP