4 months ago
1
For the second signifier of civic polls crossed Maharashtra, the six parties successful the State — BJP, two Shiv Senas, 2 NCPs and Congress — person allied successful antithetic combinations to combat each other across the 29 municipal corporations which volition spell to polls connected Thursday (January 15, 2026).
Crucial cities where civic polls will beryllium held see Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Nashik, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Kolhapur, Nagpur to sanction a few. Results volition be announced connected January 16.
Stakes connected these corporations, which have been run by administrators for the past 3 years, are precocious arsenic each six parties person re-jigged their conjugation partners based connected the section heft each of them hold. In the first round of civic polls held in two phases in December 2025, the Mahayuti and MVA parties fought separately including respective ‘friendly fights’, but stuck to their respective conjugation partners post-polls .
Of the 288 municipal councils nagar panchayats which went to polls, Mahayuti won 207 – BJP grabbed victories in 117 civic bodies, followed by Shiv Sena successful 53 and NCP successful 37. The MVA managed to triumph lone 52 municipalities– Congress (28), Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP-SP won lone nine and seven respectively.
Ahead of voting, 68 candidates of the Mahayuti have already won ‘unopposed’. These include – 44 BJP candidates, 22 from Sena and 2 from NCP. The ‘winners’ are dispersed across Kalyan-Dombivli, Thane, Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad, Panvel, Bhiwandi, Dhule, Jalgaon and Ahilyanagar. Amid Opposition crying afoul, the State Election Commissio (SEC) has stated that it volition not state winners till an enquiry study is submitted.
Here’s a look astatine who is warring whom successful the key cities:
Mumbai
For India’s richest civic assemblage – Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), BJP has retained Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena arsenic its spouse to dent Shiv Sena (UBT)’s chances. Uddhav Thackeray has buried his hatchet with cousin Raj Thackeray and allied with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP).
Meanwhile, Congress has allied with Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) while Ajit Pawar’s NCP is contesting independently.
BJP is contesting connected 137 seats, Shiv Sena on 90 seats successful the 227-member BMC. Mahayuti ally RPI(A) was furious astatine being excluded from the seat-sharing and volition contention connected 20 seats. On the Thackeray side, Sena (UBT) volition contest on 165 seats, MNS connected 52, leaving NCP-SP to contention 10 seats. The 3rd conjugation successful the fray volition spot Congress contention connected 143 seats, VBA on 62 and smaller allies on six seats, taking the bloc’s total to 195 seats. However, successful 21 of the 62 seats allotted to it, VBA failed to find a suitable candidate, leaving 32 seats where BJP-Sena volition clash directly with the Thackerays.
NCP and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are contesting independently on 94 and 75 seats respectively.
BMC has stayed with the Shiv Sena since 1985 (barring 1992-1996) and is wherever the Thackeray clan has its strongest hold, fending disconnected its premier challenger BJP respective times. BJP, which nurtures wishes to contention 2029 Assembly polls solo, came adjacent to dethroning the Sena successful 2017 winning 82 seats portion the undivided Sena won 84, retaining its politician seat.
Wishing to clasp this Thackeray turf, the 2 cousins person buried their twenty-year-old hatchet, marking the archetypal Shiv Sena-MNS associated bid for the BMC - a archetypal since 2005.
Suburbs extracurricular Mumbai
Thane is a Shiv Sena stronghold – specifically, Eknath Shinde’s home turf. For the 131-seat council, Sena is contesting connected 87 seats, BJP connected 40 and smaller allies person been allotted 4 seats. The Thackerays and NCP-SP which person continued their confederation successful Thane, volition spot Sena (UBT) clash connected 53 seats, MNS connected 34 and NCP-SP connected 36. Congress and NCP are contesting solo connected 96 and 75 seats respectively.
In 2017, the undivided Sena won 67 retired of the 131 seats, forming the assembly connected its ain portion NCP won 34 seats and BJP grabbed 23 seats. Currently, 66 of the 67 Sena corporators who were elected in 2017 are backing Mr. Shinde, giving him a definitive edge. However, Mr. Thackeray is banking on enactment for the ‘original’ Sena. Barring 1987-1993, Sena has ruled Thane owing to legacy of Shiv Sena stalwarts – Balasaheb Thackeray and Anand Dighe.
The confederation holds existent successful Kalyan-Dombivli excessively wherever Mr. Shinde’s power holds true. His Sena is contesting on 65 seats, BJP connected 57. While NCP was expected to beryllium fixed 10 seats from either party’s kitty, it did not fructify. On the Opposition side, the Thackerays split the 122 seats with Sena (UBT) contesting connected 68 and MNS connected 54. NCP-SP switched alliances joining the Congress-VBA bloc and is contesting connected 45 seats. Congress has grabbed 55 seats, portion VBA connected 12 seats.
A canine combat is underway for Mira-Bhayander, Navi Mumbai and Bhiwandi arsenic each main parties are contesting independently, with immoderate already winning ‘unopposed’. Local alliances with smaller parties similar Bahujan Vikas Aghadi, Bahujan Samaj Partt have cropped up successful Amravati, Jalna, Vasai-Virar to sanction a few.
Also Read | BMC elections: the emergence of fluid alliances | Explained
Pune & Pimpri-Chinchwad
Pawar clan has travel unneurotic successful a bid to regain their fiefdom in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad. In 2017, BJP stormed into powerfulness winning 97 seats successful the 165-member corporation, a archetypal for the saffron party. Like the Thackerays, Ajit Pawar and NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar person buried their differences arsenic a last-ditch effort for their bastion. Both Ms. Supriya Sule and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar presented a agreed beforehand and unveil their associated manifesto and elder NCP person Sunil Tatkare has not ruled retired a merger of the 2 factions.
In Pune, NCP has enactment up 130 candidates portion NCP-SP had fielded 43, mounting up a affable combat successful 7 seats. Similarly, successful Pimpri-Chinchwad, Ajit Pawar’s faction has grabbed 110 seats portion Sharad Pawar’s faction is contesting on 18 seats for the 128-member civic body.
The BJP-Shiv Sena confederation talks broke down successful Pune arsenic BJP refused to cede much than 15 seats to Sena, portion Mr. Shinde demanded 25 seats. A disgruntled Sena has fielded 119 candidates setting up a nonstop combat with the BJP which has besides decided to contention solo. Congress, connected the different hand, has foregone its reservations regarding MNS, allying with the Thackerays to antagonistic the Pawars. Sena (UBT) is contesting connected 65 seats of which MNS has been allotted 21.
Nashik and Dhule
In Nashik and Dhule municipal corporations, the smaller Mahayuti parties – Shinde’s Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP person allied to instrumentality connected the Thackerays-Sharad Pawar and the BJP which is going solo.
Unusual post-poll alliances
Post-polls excessively fluidity among the Mahayuti partners is evident as it emerged winners successful cardinal councils of Ambarnath falling under Thane district, Parli in Beed and Akot successful Akola.
In Ambarnath, wherever polls were held connected December 20, post-poll tussle person gotten disfigured arsenic BJP councillors allied with Congress and Ajit Pawar’s NCP to signifier the ‘Ambarnath Vikas Aghadi’ - securing 31 seats successful the 60-member council. This was to support Shinde’s Sena which had won 27 seats from taking control. While Congress expelled its 12 councillors (who promptly jumped to BJP), Sena wrested distant NCP (which won 4 seats) from the Aghadi and secured 1 Independent’s support. The Sena-led conjugation has successfully elected Sadashiv Hender Patil arsenic the lawman politician on with 5 different members who were nominated to the council.
Similarly, successful Akot, BJP councillors had joined hands with ideological rival – All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) to signifier the ‘Akot Vikas Manch’ aft elections. Prior to the polls, BJP had allied with NCP which successful crook sought AIMIM’s enactment aft the elections. After CM Devendra Fadnavis issued a rebuke to Akot MLA Prakash Bharsakale, the section BJP portion distanced itself from it. However, the BJP nominee for assembly president - Jiten Barethia was elected with the backing of the 5 AIMIM councillors.
BJP’s Mahayuti partners excessively seemed to person picked up the idea. In Parli, the NCP, which won 16 seats successful the 35-member municipal council, gained the enactment of 1 AIMIM, two Shiv Sena and four Independent councillors.
After facing an ultimatum of Sena’s exit from the alliance, AIMIM corporator Sheikh Ayesha Mohsin withdrew her enactment and NCP is acceptable to involvement assertion with the enactment of 22 corporators.
