Mumbai:
Rivals BJP and the Shiv Sena (UBT) are in a tight contest in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in Mumbai, but the Shinde factor is pushing the Mahayuti ahead, as votes are being counted for elections to 29 civic bodies across Maharashtra.
Here Are Top 10 Points On Maharashtra Civic Body Poll Results:
- The BJP-led alliance is ahead in 49 wards in the BMC, according to early leads. The BJP has an edge in 36, while Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena is ahead in 13 wards.
- The Thackeray cousins are behind with an edge in 31 wards in their attempt to retain control of the cash-rich civic body. While Uddhav Thackeray's Sena is ahead in 28, Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) is leading in three wards. Check live updates here
- In the BMC, whose annual budget exceeds Rs 74,400 crore, there were 1,700 candidates for 227 seats in the elections that were held after nine years and a four-year delay.
- In the last elections held in 2017, the united Shiv Sena (comprising Eknath Shinde) had retained its grip on the BMC that it had been controlling for decades.
- The overall figures for 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra too tilt in the BJP's favour. An overall tally shows the BJP is ahead in 297 wards, while ally Shiv Sena, led by Shinde, is leading in 73 wards.
- In the party-wise tally, the Congress stands third, with leads in 57 seats, a major chunk coming from Nagpur, Kolhapur and Akola. The Shiv Sena (UBT) is fourth, leading in 44 seats, followed by Ajit Pawar's NCP (37).
- Besides Mumbai, Pune is also being keenly watched since two rival factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and his uncle Rajya Sabha MP Sharad Pawar, have formed an alliance for the municipal elections.
- The BJP is racing ahead here as well. The saffron party is leading in 39 seats, while the united NCP factions are following behind, with a lead in 16 seats (NCP 14, NCP-SP 2) in Pune.
- Polling for 2,869 seats across 893 wards in the 29 civic bodies was held on Thursday. A total of 3.48 crore voters were eligible to decide the fate of 15,931 candidates, including 1,700 in Mumbai.
- Besides Mumbai and Pune, votes are also being counted in the following municipal corporations: Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar, Kalyan-Dombivli, Kolhapur, Nagpur, Solapur, Amravati, Akola, Nashik, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune, Ulhasnagar, Thane, Chandrapur, Parbhani, Mira-Bhayandar, Nanded-Waghala, Panvel, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Latur, Malegaon, Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad, Jalgaon, Ahilyanagar, Dhule, Jalna and Ichalkaranji.
