Maharashtra Politics: Thackeray Era Ends in BMC: BJP-Shinde Sena Alliance Breaches Impregnable Fortress, Crosses Majority Mark

The Mahayuti alliance has achieved a historic victory in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, completely reshaping Mumbai's political landscape. In the 227-seat BMC, the Mahayuti alliance secured 118 seats, comfortably surpassing the majority mark of 114. This triumph not only demonstrates the strength of the alliance but also indicates that Mumbai's voters have placed their trust in a new leadership and governance model. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde worked together to achieve this spectacular success, marking a significant shift in the city's civic administration.

Mahayuti Alliance's Resounding Victory

The most significant aspect of these election results is the end of the Thackeray family's long-standing dominance over Asia's richest civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The undivided Shiv Sena had governed the BMC continuously since 1997, but this time, the alliance of BJP and Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena has breached this impregnable fortress. Mumbai is now set to have a BJP-Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) mayor after.

A long time, signaling the beginning of a new era in the city's governance. This victory is a major setback for the Thackeray family and establishes a new balance of power in Mumbai's politics. The Mahayuti alliance secured a total of 118 seats out of 227, easily crossing the majority threshold of 114. Within this alliance, the BJP alone demonstrated its strength by winning 89 seats, while the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde secured 29 seats. The BJP's performance is particularly noteworthy as it surpassed its previous highest tally of 82 seats achieved in 2017. This result reflects the alliance's unity and its acceptance among the voters, which helped them gain control over Mumbai's most prestigious civic body, while the combined strength of the two parties proved to be a formidable force against their opponents.

CM Devendra Fadnavis's Leadership Lauded

Following the BJP's historic performance in the Mumbai civic body, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has become a focal point of discussion. Under his leadership, the BJP secured victory in 89 of the 227 BMC wards, a significant achievement for the party. Fadnavis's strategic acumen and ability to work at the grassroots level contributed immensely to the BJP's unprecedented success in this election. Under his guidance, the BJP not only exceeded its previous seat count. But also played a crucial role in leading the alliance to a majority. This victory further solidifies his political stature and establishes him as a key player in Maharashtra politics.

Performance of Other Parties

While the Mahayuti alliance registered a spectacular victory, the performance of other parties was mixed. The alliance of Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT), Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) collectively secured 72 seats, while within this, Shiv Sena (UBT) won 65 seats, Raj Thackeray's MNS secured six seats, and NCP (Sharad Pawar) managed one seat. The Congress party made its presence felt by winning 24 seats, while AIMIM secured eight seats. NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) got three seats, and the Samajwadi Party won two seats. On top of that, two independent candidates also emerged victorious in this election, marking their presence. This distribution of seats reflects the diverse preferences of Mumbai's voters and the complexity of its political landscape.

Prime Minister Modi Extends Gratitude

Following the Mahayuti alliance's victory, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his gratitude to the people of Mumbai for blessing the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the civic elections, while in a post on X, the Prime Minister stated that he was 'extremely grateful' to his 'sisters and brothers of Mumbai'. He described Mumbai as 'the pride of our nation' and 'the city of dreams' that 'drives our development'. The Prime Minister also added that Mumbai 'presents the best glimpse of Maharashtra's vibrant culture'. Inspired by this great spirit, he pledged to provide good governance and ease of living to the people of the city. This statement underscores the central government's commitment to Mumbai's development.

BMC's Significance and Voter Turnout

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is the richest civic body in the country, with a budget of 74,427 crore rupees for 2025-26. Due to this massive budget and extensive responsibilities, the outcome of the BMC elections is extremely crucial for the politics of Mumbai and Maharashtra. The majority mark in the 227-member BMC is 114, which the Mahayuti alliance comfortably surpassed, while the counting of votes took place on Friday, a day after polling for Mumbai and 28 other municipal bodies. These elections recorded a total voter turnout of 54. 77 percent, indicating active participation from the electorate. This election result will set a new direction for the future of Mumbai.