Key Points:
- BJP won 20 of 29 municipal corporations, including Mumbai, Nagpur, Navi Mumbai, and Pune
- Fadnavis emerges as Mahayuti’s biggest face after massive victory
- Shinde retained Thane but performed poorly in Mumbai despite alliance
- Ajit Pawar failed to retain Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad strongholds
- Amruta Fadnavis calls her husband Maharashtra’s ‘Infra Man’
- BJP secured majority in Mumbai Municipal Corporation with Shinde faction
The BJP has emerged as the largest party in elections to the state’s 29 municipal corporations, registering a massive victory that has significantly boosted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s stature within the Mahayuti alliance. The party performed exceptionally well in 20 municipal corporations, including Nagpur, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Mira-Bhayandar, Panvel, Jalna, Nanded, Dhule, Solapur, Ichalkaranji, Jalgaon, Nashik, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Sambhaji Nagar, and Sangli.
This sweeping success has demonstrated that Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar lack the strength to challenge Fadnavis’s leadership within the government. Shinde had a mixed performance in his stronghold of Thane, where the BJP came in second, while Ajit Pawar, who contested the elections in alliance with his uncle Sharad Pawar, failed to retain his strongholds of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
In the prestigious Mumbai Municipal Corporation, the BJP and the Shinde faction have secured a majority, though Shinde’s inability to deliver a strong performance in Mumbai despite the alliance has raised questions about his political influence. In Vasai-Virar, although the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi secured a majority, the BJP also made significant gains, generating tremendous enthusiasm among party workers across the state.
By securing this massive victory for the BJP against Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP in the municipal corporation elections, CM Fadnavis has emerged as the biggest face of the Mahayuti (grand alliance). The Chief Minister has also shown through this success that if Shinde and Ajit want to advance their political careers in Maharashtra, they will have to depend on the BJP. Earlier, Shinde had repeatedly visited Delhi to challenge Fadnavis’s leadership, but after the setback in the municipal corporation elections, it will take him time to recover.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s wife, Amruta Fadnavis, expressed her immense joy and overwhelming feelings about the victory. She said that the youth voted for good governance and development. She added that Devendra Fadnavis is undoubtedly the ‘Infra Man’ of Maharashtra, the man of development. He is responsible towards every section of society, and this is reflected in his policies. He addresses many issues concerning society, which is why he is a prominent leader in the state today.
The election results have also proven to be a lifeline for Congress, with mayors elected in five cities, stunning the BJP despite their massive overall victory. This mixed outcome suggests that while Fadnavis has consolidated his position at the state level, local dynamics continue to present challenges that require careful political management.
