NEW DELHI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Maharashtra The 2026 civic elections have marked a crucial shift in the urban political landscape. The elections in 27 local bodies and 2,869 seats, held after a delay of nearly four years due to legal challenges and prolonged administrative rule, were widely seen by some as a test of the credibility of governance and its existence.The verdict was emphatic. The BJP-led Mahayuti Alliance has emerged as the dominant force in urban Maharashtra and is expected to win more than 1,800 seats across the country. In Mumbai, the Mahayuti crossed the majority threshold in the 227-member BMC, with the BJP winning over 90 constituencies alone in its favour.
With this the Shiv ended SenaThe BJP’s uninterrupted control of the civic body since 1997 marked the BJP’s first real takeover of India’s richest municipal corporation.
Here are the top ten winners and losers of the Maharashtra civic elections:
WINNER
1. Devendra Fadnavis and BJPThe biggest and most obvious winner of the civic poll verdict is Devendra Fadnavis and the Bharatiya Janata Party.The BJP single-handedly won over 90 wards in the BMC, compared to 82 in 2017. In key districts like Mulund West (Ward 103), the BJP defeated the MNS by a margin of over 12,000 votes.
Statewide results reinforced this dominance. The BJP led the Pune Municipal Corporation with over 50 seats out of 162, secured a majority in Navi Mumbai (40 out of 67) and secured 80 seats in Nagpur’s 151-member civic body.Axis My India had estimated BJP support among first-time voters (age group 18-25) at 47 percent, while 44 percent of women voters backed the party, influenced by welfare programs such as Majhi Ladki Bahin and promises of tighter controls on government spending. With the BMC’s annual budget exceeding Rs 60,000 crore, control of Mumbai’s civic machinery also strengthens the BJP’s long-term institutional influence ahead of the 2029 general elections.
2. Eknath Shinde and Shiv Sena For the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, the civic results were a political vindication.Since the split in 2022, the Shinde faction’s central challenge has been legitimacy. The civic verdict, particularly in Mumbai and Thane, strengthened his claim. The party has won or led in 352 districts and emerged as the second largest party in civic polls in Maharashtra.In Mira-Bhayandar and Ulhasnagar, the Shinde faction registered near-victories, reflecting voters’ preference for continuity in infrastructure delivery over symbolic politics.3. Mahayuti Alliance The BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP Mahayuti alliance once again sealed victory in Maharashtra.Although the alliance contested separately in some cities, it demonstrated effective vote portability in Mumbai, Nashik and Nagpur. The alliance has won or is leading in over 1,700 districts across Maharashtra.With a major victory, Mahayuti showed how to convert state-level power into grassroots and citizen dominance.4. Target imimThe All Indian Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (Aimiim) made modest but momentous gains in the Maharashtra civic elections.The party won or topped 94 districts, particularly in Muslim-majority areas such as Bhendi Bazaar and parts of Kurla and Mumbra. In the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation, 15 seats were won.Although these numbers remain low, AIMIM’s presence appears to have fragmented the opposition vote, hurting the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) in particular. 5.K Annamalai and “Rasmalai”When the results of the civic elections in Maharashtra were counted, one of the most unexpected stories was not about seats won or districts lost. It was about narrative timeliness – how a BJP leader from Tamil Nadu emerged victorious without being contested.And it all started with the ‘Rasmalai’ controversy, which started when Annamalai, while campaigning for the BMC elections in Mumbai, said that the city does not belong to Maharashtra alone as it is an international city.The comments sparked a heated exchange at a joint Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS rally in Mumbai. MNS chief Raj Thackeray took a dig at Annamalai, mocking him as ‘Rasmalai’ and questioning his authority to comment on Mumbai. He also raised the slogan “Hatao Lungi, Bajao Pungi”, a phrase that has long been used derogatory against South Indians in the city.However, Mahayuti won and BJP MPs and supporters soon had a field on social media, posting photos of ‘Rasmalai’ and mocking Raj Thackeray.
loser
1. Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena Uddhav Thackeray suffered the biggest electoral setback. From over 130 BMC seats in 2017, Sena (UBT) fell to 72 seats. Even traditional strongholds like Gorai and parts of Mahim experienced defeats. The BMC’s loss of control is a big blow to Uddhav as the Sena has always maintained control over the civic body.His long-awaited reunion with his estranged cousin Raj Thackeray also had no impact on the ground.2nd Congress The Indian National Congress emerged as one of the biggest losers in the civic elections in BMC and Maharashtra as the results revealed its near-total erosion in city politics.In the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the Congress was reduced to around 21 seats, a sharp decline from its already reduced presence in 2017 when it had crossed 30 seats. In the 27 municipal corporations of Maharashtra, the party administered about 306 out of 2,869 wards. In Pune, a once Congress-influenced city, the party was limited to fewer than five seats out of 162, while in Mumbai it did not emerge as a serious contender in most districts.In Pune it was reduced to less than five seats. The party, which decided to go it alone after the merger of the Thackeray cousins, failed to make an impact in the BMC polls, where Uddhav’s Sena won 72 seats. It appears that the lack of a city-specific agenda, infighting between factions and a low presence of the national leadership during the election campaign exacerbated the decline.3. Raj Thackeray and MNSFor Raj Thackeray, the civic polls have confirmed a long-term downward trend.The leader joined hands with his cousin Uddhav to keep the BJP at bay. But the results show how miserably he failed. During the election campaign, he tried to raise the idea of ’Marathi Manoos’, citing Balasaheb Thackeray. This emotional politics obviously has deep roots in Maharashtra’s history. To attract attention, he relied on fiery speeches, symbolic gestures and cultural flashpoints, often targeting migrants, linguistic outsiders or the perceived cultural dilution in Mumbai. Unlike mass welfare or government-oriented politics, his appeal was rooted in “Marathi asmita”.However, this did not resonate with voters. The MNS failed to win big while it won only 11 out of 227 wards in Mumbai. At the state level, the party managed to get only 18 out of 2869 districts.4: Sharad Pawar Sharad Pawar emerged as one of the biggest losers in the BMC and Maharashtra civic elections as the results exposed the steady erosion of his once formidable influence in city and organizational politics.For decades, Pawar was seen as Maharashtra’s master strategist, able to influence outcomes even when he was not directly in power. The citizens’ verdict has thwarted this perception. The NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) failed to make a significant impact on the BMC, claiming only one victory in Mumbai districts and remaining marginal in Pune, a city long considered central to Pawar’s political influence.His strategy of partnering with his nephew Ajit Pawar in the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal elections also failed as the BJP secured victory in these bodies.Nationally, the group’s district count was 28 out of 2,869 districts, well below expectations for a party led by a veteran of his stature.Crucially, Pawar’s traditional role as an alliance-builder also became less important. The fragmentation within the opposition and the rise of a dominant Mahayuti alliance limited his ability to act as a power broker. This time, reports suggested that he wanted the Maha Vikas Agadi to fight as a unit, but he failed to keep the parties together, especially after the Thackeray cousins joined forces and pushed the Congress to go it alone.10. Ajit PawarDespite being part of Mahayuti, Ajit Pawar is one of the losers in this election. During the civic election campaigns, Ajit Pawar repeatedly lashed out at his own Mahayuti allies Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis, exposing visible fault lines within the ruling alliance.As the election date approached, he finally decided to join hands with his uncle Sharad Pawar to contest the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad elections as a united front.His attacks were also unusually sharp for an alliance partner, with Pawar questioning why local bodies under BJP-Shinde control were still struggling with water supply, roads and urban planning. At several rallies, he portrayed his group as a corrective force within the government rather than a stakeholder in its history. . However, the civic results suggest the tactic backfired. Ajit Pawar’s faction fared worse in Pune and Nashik, reinforcing the perception that public disputes with allies during the elections weakened rather than strengthened his credibility and bargaining power within the Mahayuti. Ultimately, the Pawars lost their strongholds of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad to the BJP by a large margin.
