NEW DELHI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday attributed the BJP-led Mahayuti’s stunning performance in the municipal elections in the state to its development agenda and said Hindutva and development were inextricably linked for the party.He said, “Hindutva has always been our soul; one cannot distinguish our Hindutva from development.”
“First of all, I would like to thank the people of Maharashtra for giving BJP a great victory in the municipal elections. BJP and Mahayuti will form their 25 mayors after these elections,” Fadnavis said while addressing his supporters after the results.He said the alliance participated in the citizen surveys with a clear focus on governance and infrastructure. “We approached these elections with a vision of development under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi…That is why we got a record-breaking mandate in these elections…These results have made it clear that Maharashtra is heavily dependent on Prime Minister Modi,” he added.As per trends till Friday evening, the BJP-Shiv Sena Mahayuti was leading in majority of municipal corporations across the state, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The saffron alliance was ahead with 130 of the 227 BMC seats, well crossing the majority mark of 114. The BJP emerged as the largest party with 93 seats, while its ally Shiv Sena was on top with 27 seats.Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar said the BMC verdict reflects Mumbai’s support to the alliance’s development agenda. “First of all, I would like to thank the people of Mumbai and express my gratitude for their trust in the BJP alliance… This order was given for the development of Mumbai. We have gained the trust of the people of Mumbai by dedicating to them important projects like Metro Rail Network, Coastal Road and Trans Harbor Link and this order shows the desire of the people of Mumbai for the development of the city,” he said.The BMC elections were held after a gap of eight years, the previous polls were held in 2017. Mumbai is set to get a new mayor after nearly four years as the term of the last elected mayor, Kishori Pednekar, ended in March 2022.Elsewhere in the state, the BJP also made strong gains in other important civic bodies. In the Pune Municipal Corporation, the BJP was leading with 90 of the 165 seats while the NCP was at 20. The Congress-Shiv Sena (UBT) alliance was leading with 10 seats while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena bagged two seats.According to trends, the Mahayuti also crossed the majority threshold in Pimpri-Chinchwad, Navi Mumbai, Nagpur, Nashik, Jalna and Vasai-Virar.CM Fadnavis congratulated the party leaders and called up state BJP leader Ravindra Chavan and Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam as the alliance emerged ahead in the civic polls. Welcoming the results, Maharashtra Minister Nitesh Rane said the Mahayuti would occupy mayoral posts in most municipal corporations.“It seems that everything is being prepared for people with ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘I Love Mahadev’ mentality and those belonging to the Mahayuti Alliance to occupy most of the mayoral seats,” Rane said in a social media video.Elections for 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra were held on Thursday and counting took place on Friday.
