The local body elections held just before the BMC elections in Maharashtra have once again made the direction of the state’s politics clear. Of the 288 city councils and nagar panchayats in which elections were held in the first two phases, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has established itself as the single largest party by winning 129 bodies. At the same time, the ruling Mahayuti alliance crossed the figure of 200, which shows its strong position.
In the grand alliance, apart from BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) has won 51 and NCP has won 33 local bodies. In comparison, the performance of the opposition Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA) was very weak and the alliance could not even reach the figure of 50. Congress won in 35 bodies, while Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) got success in only 8 bodies each.
What does it mean for BJP to become the largest party?
Dominance in local bodies is also important for BJP because this structure strengthens the ground level machinery of the party and becomes the basis in future major elections.
How were these results for Devendra Fadnavis?
BJP has directly linked this victory to the leadership of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. During the election campaign, Fadnavis himself held 38 rallies across the state. It was a big test for him to keep the alliance united despite the conflict with the Shinde faction within the Grand Alliance, corruption allegations against the allies and mutual infighting.
After the results, Fadnavis said that the public has given the mandate for good governance in the state and the Center and BJP has once again emerged as the number-one party in Maharashtra. Maharashtra BJP President Ravindra Chavan also attributed this victory to Fadnavis’s political strategy and the public’s trust in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Why are Eknath Shinde-Ajit Pawar worried?
Although this result is a sign of tremendous victory for Mahayuti, there is also an invisible uneasiness hidden within it. The continued strengthening of BJP indicates that there will be less space for allies like Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and NCP in the future. This is the reason why while BJP is looking at these results as a celebration, its allies are not looking at them from a positive perspective.
What indications for MVA?
These results are a serious warning for the opposition Mahavikas Aghadi. The MVA, which became organizationally weak after the defeat in the assembly elections, has also suffered a setback in the local elections. Especially the performance of Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) was very weak, due to which their grassroots structure and worker network is sure to be affected.
Ahead of the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, these results are a matter of concern for the Uddhav Thackeray faction, as it has dominated the BMC for the last three decades.
What is Congress saying on this defeat?
Congress has blamed the Mahayuti government for its defeat. State Congress President Harshvardhan Sapkal said that money power, muscle power and government machinery were misused in these elections, due to which the opposition suffered direct loss.
What is the next picture?
These results of local body elections clearly indicate that BJP and Mahayuti are full of confidence before the Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections to be held on January 15, while MVA needs serious brainstorming to re-establish itself.
In Maharashtra politics, this contest is now becoming not just a battle for power but also to decide the future direction. The BJP’s single largest position is a symbol of its growing strength in the state, which strengthens the alliance but leaves allies cautious, and warns of a resurgence of the MVA.
