Maharashtra local body poll results | Mahayuti wins 207 seats; BJP single largest party

The Mahayuti alliance, consisting of the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, has swept the Maharashtra local body elections, securing 207 municipal president seats. According to the final results announced by the State Election Commission, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) managed to win only 44 seats.

In the final tally, the BJP emerged as the single largest party, winning 117 seats. Its allies, Shiv Sena and NCP, secured 53 and 37 seats, respectively. Within the MVA, Congress won 28 seats, the NCP (SP) bagged 7, and Shiv Sena (UBT) managed 9.

The elections to 286 municipal councils and nagar panchayats were held in two phases, while candidates in two other local bodies had been elected unopposed.

'Result of development agenda'

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis attributed the alliance's success to the BJP's organizational strength and its focus on development. He highlighted that 48% of councillors were elected under the BJP banner, a record-breaking achievement. The party has created another record with 3,300 councillors being elected from the party, he added.

"BJP candidates have been elected as presidents in 129 municipal councils. In 75 per cent of the local bodies, Mahayuti nominees have been elected as municipal presidents," Fadnavis told reporters.

Top leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP national working president Nitin Nabin praised the results, thanking the people of Maharashtra for their support.

Opposition cries foul

The opposition parties, however, have cried foul over the results. While conceding defeat, Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) accused the election commission of favoring the ruling alliance. State Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal sarcastically "congratulated" the Election Commission for allegedly "helping" the Mahayuti.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut accused the ruling party of manipulating the outcome through tampered EVMs, claiming that the opposition could not withstand a "hailstorm" of money. His colleague, Ambadas Danve, also alleged that money and muscle power played a significant role in the Mahayuti's victory.