Maharashtra Municipal Election Results Updates: BJP sweeps civic polls, wins 21 of 29 corporations

Across Maharashtra’s 29 municipal corporations, the BJP emerged victorious in 21 bodies — Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Mira-Bhayandar, Ulhasnagar, Panvel, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Ichalkaranji, Sangli–Miraj–Kupwad, Kolhapur, Solapur, Nagpur, Akola, Amravati, Nashik, Dhule, Jalgaon, Ahilyanagar, Jalna, Nanded–Waghala and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar — while the Shiv Sena won 2 (Thane and Kalyan–Dombivli), the Indian National Congress secured 3 (Latur, Bhiwandi–Nizampur and Chandrapur with Shiv Sena (UBT) support), the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi won 1 (Vasai–Virar), and Shiv Sena (UBT) clinched 1 (Parbhani with Congress support).

The people of Mumbai have spoken with crystal clarity! The historic victory of the Mahayuti alliance in the BMC elections is a resounding endorsement of development-first governance.

Maharashtra Municipal Election Results Live: Congress workers celebrate after party wins Bhiwandi-Nizampur

Congress workers celebrate after party wins Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal corporation.

CM Devendra Fadnavis calls up Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam and congratulates him, as the BJP-Shiv Sena Mahayuti leads in the BMC elections. He also called up State BJP chief Ravindra Chavan and congratulated him.

Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Friday said the BJP was heading towards a majority in the Maharashtra civic polls and expressed confidence that the party-led Mahayuti coalition would secure a two-thirds mark. The people of Maharashtra have voted for development, he said. The BJP and ally Shiv Sena were ahead in high-stakes Mumbai municipal corporation elections as per trends in 210 of 227 wards. The BJP was also leading in many other civic bodies, as per the trends.

A total of 65 candidates from ten municipal corporations in Maharashtra were declared elected unopposed ahead of elections held on January 15, the State Election Commission (SEC) said on Friday.

The Congress won elections to the Latur Municipal Corporation (LMC) in central Maharashtra, bagging a clear majority with 43 seats in the 70-member body, leaving the BJP a distant second with 22 seats. -- PTI

Speaking exclusively to CNN-News18, Deputy CM Eknath Shinde said people have voted for development in Mumbai and that they have shown we are the real Shiv Sena, taking a dig at Shiv Sena (UBT).

Speaking exclusively to CNN-News18, Deputy CM Eknath Shinde said that there will now be a triple-engine government in Mumbai. He said PM Modi wants to develop Mumbai as the fintech capital.

According to trends, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is ahead in 1171 seats, Shiv Sena (SS) in 300, Congress in 226, Shiv Sena (UBT) in 139, Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) in 134, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) in 75, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) in 19, Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (VBA) in 14, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in 13, and others in 176. With this, Mahayuti is leading in 1478 seats and Maha Aghadi alliance in 171, with others in 637.

BJP spokesperson and MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said opposition parties accusing the BJP of irregularities in the Maharashtra civic polls cannot even keep their own alliance intact, noting that the INDI bloc has failed to win any state or local body election since 2024.

He alleged that Shiv Sena (UBT), which claims Balasaheb Thackeray’s legacy, is now aligned with forces that glorify separatists and extremists, calling it a betrayal of Thackeray’s ideology.

Dismissing Congress’ “vote chori” charge, Trivedi said alliances formed out of hatred for Prime Minister Modi inevitably collapse under internal rivalries, making such allegations laughable. "Those who cannot face each other, accusing us of ‘chori’ is laughable," he said.

BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said, "Today, in the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation elections, the BJP and our coalition partners achieved a significant victory. This demonstrates that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the BJP and NDA are increasingly gaining support."

"We thank the people of Maharashtra and all supporters on behalf of the BJP for this success in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which is one of the largest municipal bodies not only in India but possibly in Asia. I can say that the people of Maharashtra have stamped on this new development for India. I feel that GenZ has voted in favour of VB, meaning 'Viksit Bharat' (developed India)," he added. -- ANI

Maharashtra Election Results Live: BJP workers continue celebrations in Pune

BJP workers continue their celebrations in Pune, as BJP candidates Sai Thopte and Ganesh Ghosh win here.

According to trends, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is ahead in 1014 seats, Shiv Sena (SS) in 290,  Congress in 172, Shiv Sena (UBT) in 136, Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) in 116, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) in 51, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) in 19, Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (VBA) in 14, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in 11, and others in 144.

Maharashtra Election Results Live: Celebrations erupt in Kopar Khairane as BJP-led alliance eyes victory in Navi Mumbai

Celebrations erupt in Kopar Khairane as BJP-led alliance appear set to win Navi Mumbai municipal polls.

Rekha Yadav of Shiv Sena wins BMC election, defeating Congress rival Sheetal Mhatre by 2,000 votes.

BJP’s Tejasvi Ghosalkar wins Mumbai municipal corporation poll, trouncing Shiv Sena-UBT rival by over 10,000 votes. -- PTI

Maharashtra civic body elections | AIMIM wins first seat in BMC elections. Mehzabin Khan wins ward number 134.

As of 12:00 pm, the Mahayuti has taken a lead on 86 seats in the BMC polls, while the Thackerays are lagging behind at 56. The Congress is leading on 8 seats.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi reacted to the ongoing controversy over allegations of an erasable ink used to mark voters in some polling booths in Maharashtra on Thursday. “Election commission gaslighting citizens is how trust has collapsed in our democracy. Vote Chori is an anti-national act,” Rahul Gandhi said in a social media post.

Responding to Rahul Gandhi's remark, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, "The bahana Brigade is back, united in defeat and delusion."

Amid counting of votes, Congress candidate Asha Kale has won on Ward 183 in Mumbai.

Amid the counting of votes across the 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has secured its first victory in the ongoing Maharashtra civic body elections with a win from Jalgaon.

A neck-and-neck battle is going on in Pimpri-Chinchwad between BJP and Ajit Pawar's faction of NCP as the counting of votes continues. Ajit Pawar has contested the Pimpri-Chinchwad election in alliance with uncle Sharad Pawar's faction of NCP.

On BMC elections, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said, "The voting pattern that has been going on in a city like Mumbai is a serious matter. Names of thousands of people, who have even voted in the Assembly elections, are missing in areas where Shiv Sena (UBT), MNS or Congress... The EVM machine does not work properly... The Election Commission is not ready to listen to us. Yesterday, a meeting was held between the senior BJP leaders and the Election Commission staff, why? The Code of Conduct is still in place..."

He also said, "The exit polls arrived even before the voting percentage... The BJP started celebrating its victory... We have assured the people not to be afraid..."

Supporters of two candidates clashed during the civic polls in Thane on Thursday, prompting the police to intervene, an official said on Friday.

High drama erupted in ward number 3 in the Manpada area on Thursday evening after a confrontation between supporters of former mayor Meenakshi Shinde, the official Shiv Sena nominee, and independent candidate Bhushan Bhoir (a Shiv Sena rebel).

Meenakshi Shinde alleged that Bhoir had mobilised armed persons to incite violence. Bhoir’s camp, however, accused Shinde’s group of throwing chilli powder in their candidate’s eyes. The situation escalated when a bus carrying ballot boxes was intercepted by protesters, leading to attempts to vandalise vehicles.

As counting of votes began, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant said, "A Marathi will become the Mayor and the saffron wave will come. Be patient, there is no need to hurry -the process has just begun. We are 100 per cent confident. We are not nervous at all because people have awakened and now understand what is happening in the country."

On Maharashtra civic body elections, Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC said, "The exit polls are just a trailer, the results will be out in 2 hours. The public has decided the mandate for 29 Municipal Corporations on the basis of development and Eknath Shinde's work of progress..."

She also said, "Udhhav Thackeray should change his script writer and find some other excuse... The verdict of loss and win is decided by the public. The message is that the opportunity belongs to those who work on ground and those who work from home are made to stay at home..."

The voter turnout was recorded at 52.94 per cent in the Mumbai civic polls, down from 55.53 per cent in the 2017 elections, officials said on Friday.

Maharashtra Election Results Live: Counting of votes to begin shortly

On BMC elections, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, Anand Dubey said," We have gained strength with the Thackerays coming together. We are hopeful that the results will be in our favour."

On Maharashtra civic body elections exit poll, AIMIM national spokesperson Waris Pathan said, "This is an exit poll, not an accurate poll, and whatever is being shown, this isn't the first time it's happened. It's happened many times before that something was shown in the poll, and in the end, it turned out to be something else. Who won, who lost, everything will be known... We are confident that the people have blessed us with their votes... We will achieve great success..."

Maharashtra Municipal Election Results Live Updates: Counting of votes to begin at 10 am

Phase-wise counting of votes in Mumbai, instead of simultaneously across all 227 electoral wards as done in 2017, could delay the declaration of results when the enumeration process begins on Friday morning, civic officials said on Thursday. (PTI)

Nashik recorded a voter turnout of 56.67 per cent in the Maharashtra municipal corporation elections on Thursday. This was a decline of 5 per cent from 2017, when the voter turnout was recorded at 61.60 per cent.

As voting commenced on Thursday morning, social media was flooded with videos of ordinary voters, politicians, and some mediapersons using Acetone to wipe off the ‘indelible’ ink on their fingers after voting. The State Election Commission, however, rejected the allegations and warned of acting against those propagating such claims.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray claimed irregularities in the civic polls, terming it an attempt to murder democracy, and urged voters to dislodge the “brutal, fraud, corrupt and dictatorial regime “ of the BJP. Raj Thackeray claimed that the State Election Commission is using a new pen, due to which the markings on the voter's fingers disappeared.

After casting his vote in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) elections, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “I have also been marked with a marker, is it erasing? Creating a ruckus on everything and raising questions is wrong.” Ink applied to fingers with marker pens after casting vote in the municipal corporation elections can be removed easily and lead to bogus voting, Maharashtra minister Sanjay Shirsat said.

"It is true that the ink of marker pen is getting removed easily. There is a possibility of bogus voting at some places due to this. Polling agents and officials should pay strict attention to this," he told reporters.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections faced significant delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Supreme Court rulings on OBC reservations and issues related to ward delimitation.

The last BMC polls were held in 2017. The term of the corporators ended on 7 March 2022, and subsequent elections could not be held in time, resulting in the civic body being placed under an administrator.

In the 2017 elections, the polling percentage in Mumbai was 55.53, while the average voting figure in 26 corporations - elections were held for the first time in Jalna and Ichalkaranji municipal corporations – was 56.35 per cent.

The municipal corporations that went to polls include Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Ulhasnagar, Kalyan-Dombivli, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar, Panvel, Nashik, Malegaon, Ahilyanagar, Jalgaon, Dhule, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Solapur, Kolhapur, Ichalkaranji, Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nanded-Waghala, Parbhani, Jalna, Latur, Amravati, Akola, Nagpur and Chandrapur.

Voting took place on Thursday with Mumbai seeing a voter turnout of around 50 percent. The exit polls done by Axis My India, the JVC, and Sakal have predicted a sweep for the BJP-led Mahayuti Alliance in the BMC election. Axis My India exit poll shows that Mahayuti Alliance is projected to win 131-151 seats while the JVC exit poll shows that the alliance would secure 138 seats. Sakal, meanwhile, has predicted that Mahayuti will emerge victorious in 119 seats.

Counting of votes across all 29 municipal corporation is scheduled to begin at around 10 am.