The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance surged to a commanding lead in the elections for 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats across Maharashtra, with early trends around 11 am on December 21, 2025, showing the BJP ahead in 133 local bodies, bolstered by strong performances from allies Shiv Sena in 46 and the Nationalist Congress Party in 34, reflecting a consolidated grip on semi-urban and rural governance amid high-stakes political dynamics.
In stark contrast, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi struggled significantly, with the Congress managing leads in only 29 bodies, Shiv Sena (UBT) trailing at six, and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) at eight, underscoring a fragmented challenge that failed to capitalize on regional issues despite expectations of a robust fightback in areas plagued by agrarian distress and welfare scheme implementation hurdles.
Conducted after nearly a decade, these local body polls drew intense scrutiny as a critical barometer of political influence in Maharashtra's vast semi-urban and rural landscapes, especially following the Mahayuti's resounding victory in the 2024 state assembly elections, where voter sentiments on economic and developmental policies played a pivotal role in shaping alliances and strategies.
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The opposition's campaign appeared lackluster and uncoordinated, with Congress leaders focusing efforts primarily in Vidarbha and Marathwada regions, while Shiv Sena (UBT) figures showed minimal ground presence and NCP (SP) confined activities to core constituencies, allowing the ruling Mahayuti to dominate through aggressive outreach led by the Chief Minister and deputy chief ministers who traversed even the most remote areas to rally support.
Internal tensions within the Mahayuti surfaced prominently during the pre-poll phase, including ministers from Shiv Sena boycotting a cabinet meeting and voicing grievances over perceived "bullying" by the BJP, alongside subtle reminders from Eknath Shinde about upholding 'alliance dharma', yet these frictions did not hinder the coalition's momentum as results gain importance ahead of the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections next month.
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