Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde welcomed the Maharashtra local poll results after Mahayuti’s victory. Both described it as a “teaser” of what to expect in the January 15 municipal elections.
Counting for the presidential and member posts in 286 municipal councils and nagar panchayats across Maharashtra began at 10 am, with early trends showing the Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Ajit Pawar’s NCP and Shinde’s Shiv Sena, holding a comfortable lead.
Addressing X, Fadnavis said, “This victory is just a teaser of what we will see in the upcoming municipal elections. I urge all party workers to work even harder and with greater effort to lead us to greater victories in the future!”
Shinde praises Shiv Sena’s “strike count”.
Speaking during the counting of votes on Sunday, Shinde praised the “strike rate of the Shiv Sena” and noted that the results reflected the party’s effective work.
“The results show that the public prefers development over politics. Mahayuti’s big election victory is just a teaser. Mahayuti will repeat the same in the upcoming municipal elections,” Shinde said during a press conference, according to PTI.
Shinde said Mahayuti had crossed the 200 mark in the polls in 286 local bodies, but said the BJP had “scored a century” while the Shiv Sena had achieved “half a century” to become the second largest party in the state. “Konkan is Shiv Sena’s stronghold. The party is not limited to Mumbai and Thane but has reached every household in the state. Even in areas where the party has faced losses, the priority has remained the collective victory of the Mahayuti,” he mentioned.
Shinde said voters ensured that those who remained inactive were kept out of power in an apparent dig at Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray.
Claiming that the people had clearly decided which faction represented the “real” Shiv Sena, he claimed that his party followed the ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray and that the Sena founder would be delighted with a victory. Describing the results as a lesson for those engaged in opportunistic politics, Shinde said voters reject leaders who separate themselves from the people, the report noted.
He also highlighted Shiv Sena’s strong strike rate, noting that although the party contested for fewer seats, it won most of them, claiming to have won more seats than the total number of Maha Vikas Aghadi, targeting the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP.
Shinde dismissed questions about Uddhava Thackeray’s alliance with MNS chief Raj Thackeray and said it would have no impact as voters support those who deliver work. He further thanked the beneficiaries of the ‘Ladki Bahin’ program and the party workers for contributing to the victory.
