The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), are showing strong leads in early trends of the 2026 Maharashtra civic body elections. With counting underway across 29 municipal bodies, the BJP is ahead in 866 wards, while Shiv Sena leads in 216. In Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance is leading in 102 wards, with BJP alone in 76 and Shiv Sena in 26.
The spotlight has been on the reunited Thackeray brothers, Uddhav and Raj, who contested together to challenge the ruling Mahayuti alliance. Early results indicate that the Thackeray front is ahead in 63 BMC wards—Uddhav’s Shiv Sena (UBT) in 53 and Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in five—trailing the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance. Political analysts note that while the Thackerays have gained some support in Marathi-majority areas, the larger Mahayuti coalition maintains a strong edge.
In Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, the Sharad-Ajit Pawar alliance failed to make significant inroads. BJP leads 52 wards in Pune and 70 in Pimpri-Chinchwad, while the Pawar factions lag behind. Other notable results include Congress’s Asha Kale winning Dharavi ward number 183 and Nawab Malik’s brother losing in Kurla West.
Voter turnout across Maharashtra was moderate, with Mumbai recording 52.94%, slightly down from 55.28% in 2017. Nashik saw a 5% decline, while Pune recorded 52.42% turnout. Election authorities reported all counting centers are equipped with CCTV, fire safety, and medical facilities to ensure smooth operations.
With votes still being counted, the Mahayuti alliance appears poised to retain control of key urban civic bodies, while the reunited Thackeray front and other parties aim to capitalize on localized support.
