The results of Maharashtra’s two-phase local body elections reveal not just the BJP’s expanding footprint, but also the deepening rivalries within the ruling Mahayuti and fresh strategic questions for the Opposition.
The BJP swept the local body elections to nagar panchayats and municipal councils held this month. Results declared on December 21 showed BJP candidates elected as presidents in 117 of the 288 councils and nagar panchayats that went to polls.
Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena followed with 53 presidents, while the Ajit Pawar-led NCP retained its traditional bastions, particularly in Pune district and Baramati, winning 37 posts. Among Opposition parties, only the Congress managed to cross double digits.
The elections were as notable for untoward incidents as for outcomes. Allegations of fake voters, corruption, and violence surfaced across regions. Mahayuti allies were often seen fighting each other more fiercely than the Opposition. BJP Cabinet Minister Nitesh Rane and Shiv Sena MLA Nilesh Rane, sons of former Union Minister Narayan Rane, engaged in a public feud that spilled onto social media, led to an FIR, and dominated headlines for days.
The BJP-Shiv Sena rivalry played out across the State with both sides attempting to poach local leaders and cadres. The BJP aggressively pushed its ‘Shat Pratishat BhaJaPa’ campaign, even at the cost of denting Shiv Sena’s traditional strongholds in parts of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Mahayuti leaders were repeatedly seen visiting New Delhi to seek Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s intervention, underlining the strain within the alliance.
