Maharashtra local body polls: BJP emerges as largest party, Mahayuti sweeps

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged as the single largest party in Maharashtra’s recently concluded local body elections, as the ruling Mahayuti alliance recorded a decisive victory across municipal councils and nagar panchayats in the state. According to the final figures released by the State Election Commission (SEC), the alliance comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena, and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) won an overwhelming majority of posts of municipal presidents.

The elections were held for 288 municipal councils and nagar panchayats. The Mahayuti alliance secured 207 posts of presidents of local bodies, leaving the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) far behind with a combined tally of just 44. The results underline the strong organisational and electoral dominance of the ruling coalition at the grassroots level.

As per the SEC data, the BJP led the tally by winning 117 posts of municipal presidents. Its ally Shiv Sena secured 53 posts, while the NCP won 37. In the opposition alliance, the Congress managed to win 28 posts. The Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) secured seven posts, and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) won nine posts.

Apart from the major political parties, four posts were won by parties registered with the Election Commission. Unrecognised registered parties won 28 posts of municipal presidents, while Independents secured five posts.

Polling for 264 municipal councils and nagar panchayats was conducted on December 2 after a gap of almost a decade. Elections were later held for around 20 additional municipal councils and nagar panchayats on December 20. The counting of votes began at 10 am on Sunday, following which the final results were announced.

The results came amid expectations of a tough contest, especially given the prevailing agrarian crisis in Maharashtra. Issues such as partial payment of the government’s flagship welfare scheme for women and complaints from farmers over the lack of financial assistance had led the Opposition to believe it would put up a strong fight. However, the final outcome showed a clear mandate in favour of the ruling alliance.

Reacting to the results, the Opposition Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) alleged that the Election Commission played a role in facilitating the Mahayuti’s victory. In a sharp remark, Maharashtra Congress chief Harsh Vardhan Sapkal issued a warning to the BJP’s allies. “The BJP's success is a wake-up call for Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. The BJP will 100 per cent expel these two allies,” he said.

Sapkal later issued a brief statement in which he “congratulated” the State Election Commission for “helping” the ruling alliance. Echoing similar concerns, senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve accused the Mahayuti of misusing power during the polls. “The Mahayuti has bagged a larger number of seats as compared to constituents of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, thanks to the muscle and money power deployed by the ruling parties,” he was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India.

The BJP, meanwhile, hailed the victory as a clear endorsement of its governance model. Union Home Minister and BJP’s chief strategist Amit Shah thanked voters in a post on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter. He said the victory is the “people's blessing on the vision of the NDA central and state governments, led by Modi ji, for the welfare of all sections of society”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his gratitude to the people of Maharashtra for their support.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis attributed the win to positive campaigning and public trust. “We are happy that we were able to fulfil the trust shown in us by Modiji's positivity and our leaders Amit Shahji, Naddaji, and Navinji,” he said.

Fadnavis highlighted his campaign approach, stating, “For the first time, I did not criticise any leader or party, did not make accusations, but explained my plans. I campaigned 100% positively. It paid off. The people approved it.”

The local body election results are being viewed as politically significant, as they offer insight into voter sentiment ahead of future state and national elections. With a decisive performance across municipal councils and nagar panchayats, the Mahayuti alliance has reinforced its dominance in Maharashtra’s political landscape, while the Opposition faces the challenge of regrouping and addressing internal and organisational concerns.

The BJP also registered a sweeping victory in Arunachal Pradesh’s local body elections, winning 14 of 20 wards in the Itanagar Municipal Corporation and dominating district and village-level bodies. It secured 170 of 245 Zilla Parishad seats and 6,085 of 8,208 Gram Panchayat seats, many uncontested, underscoring its strong grassroots presence. The People’s Party of Arunachal emerged second, while Congress failed to win any municipal seats and performed poorly overall.