New Delhi, Jan 16 (IANS) The BJP-led alliance has surged past the majority mark in the high-stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, according to counting trends, dealing a setback to the Thackeray cousins’ efforts to retain control of India’s richest civic body.

As votes were counted for elections to 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra, the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the single largest force in Mumbai’s civic polls, with its alliance gaining a decisive edge.

In the BMC, the BJP-led combine was ahead in 119 wards, with the BJP leading in 88 wards and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction ahead in 31.

In contrast, the Thackeray family’s combined strength appeared to fall short of expectations.

Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) was leading in 64 wards, while Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) was ahead in six, taking the combined tally of the cousins to 70 wards.

Despite their attempts at political consolidation, the duo appeared sluggish in matching the BJP alliance’s momentum.

The BMC election is being closely watched due to the civic body’s immense political and financial significance.

With an annual budget exceeding Rs 74,400 crore, control of the BMC has long been a key prize in Maharashtra politics. The polls were held after a prolonged delay of nearly nine years, adding to their importance.

Beyond Mumbai, trends across the state also tilted strongly in favour of the BJP-led alliance. In the 29 municipal corporations, the BJP was leading in 909 wards, while its ally, the Shiv Sena led by Shinde, was ahead in 237 wards, reinforcing the ruling alliance’s dominance in urban local bodies.

Pune emerged as another major battleground, where the two rival factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) — led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and his uncle, Rajya Sabha MP Sharad Pawar — joined hands for the municipal polls. The outcome in Pune is being seen as a test of the alliance’s electoral viability at the grassroots level.

Polling for a total of 2,869 seats across 893 wards in the 29 civic bodies was held on Thursday. Around 3.48 crore voters were eligible to cast their ballots, deciding the political fate of 15,931 candidates, including nearly 1,700 contestants in Mumbai alone.

The final results are expected to significantly reshape Maharashtra’s urban political landscape.

–IANS

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