Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Maharashtra BJP President Ravindra Chavan celebrate after the municipal elections results at the Maharashtra BJP Headquarters in Mumbai
| Photo Credit:
EMMANUAL YOGINI
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delivered a sweeping victory in Maharashtra’s municipal corporation elections, winning a majority in 25 of the 29 civic bodies that went to the polls, and bringing to an end the over two-decade-long rule of Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena in Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Asia’s richest civic body.
In Mumbai, the BJP emerged as the single largest party. At 9pm as counting still continued, BJP’s had won 88 seats, while its ally, the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), secured 28 seats, together crossing the majority mark of 114 in the 227-member House.
The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction) won 66 seats, while its ally, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) led by Raj Thackeray, secured six seats. The Congress won 24 seats in Mumbai.
While early counting trends pointed to a decisive BJP sweep, the contest tightened by evening, with the Thackeray-led Sena recovering some ground and the Congress improving its tally in parts of the city.
Thackeray Era Ends in Mumbai
The Thackeray family has controlled the BMC since 1997, making this the first time the BJP will stake claim to the mayor’s post in Mumbai. As many as 1,700 candidates contested across 227 wards for control of the civic body, whose Budget Estimates for 2025-26 stand at ₹74,427.41 crore, larger than the annual budgets of several Indian states.
This election was also notable for the first-ever alliance between the estranged Thackeray cousins in an attempt to reclaim Mumbai.
Hindutva and Development Pitch
Reacting to the results, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that Hindutva remains the soul of the BJP and was central to the party’s success in the civic polls.
“Hindutva is the soul of the BJP. It has taken the party to the people and led us to victory,” Fadnavis said while addressing party workers in Mumbai. Emphasising the party’s ideological and governance approach, he added, “Hindutva and development are two sides of the same coin.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the people of Maharashtra in a post on X, saying the results reflected growing public support for the NDA’s agenda of pro-people governance and development. The vote has added momentum to progress.
BJP’s Statewide March
Across Maharashtra, the BJP registered decisive victories, winning 25 municipal corporations, including landslide wins in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nagpur, Solapur and Nanded, reinforcing its dominance in urban local bodies and reshaping the state’s civic political landscape.
Sharad Pawar’s NCP was completely decimated in the polls and the party was not even able to open its account in many cities, while Ajit Pawar’s NCP failed to win in any of the civic body. The Congress emerged victorious in Latur and Chandrapur.
Published on January 16, 2026
