BJP Dominates Maharashtra Rural Polls, Surpasses 2017 Seat Record
BJP breaks its 2017 record in Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti polls, consolidating its hold across Maharashtra.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday announced that the BJP has emerged as the largest party in urban, semi-urban, and rural areas of the state, amid counting of votes for the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections. According to Fadnavis, the party has secured 236 seats in 12 districts and 410 seats across 125 Panchayat Samitis, surpassing its 2017 performance.
The elections, held on February 7, saw polling in 12 Zilla Parishads — Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Pune, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Parbhani, Dharashiv, and Latur. Counting began at 10 am on Monday, though the Election Commission has not yet released an official statement.
Fadnavis highlighted that the BJP emerged as the single largest party in seven out of the 12 Zilla Parishads, including Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Sindhudurg, Solapur, Sangli, Dharashiv, Parbhani, and Satara. The Shiv Sena led in Raigad and Ratnagiri, while NCP secured Pune, reflecting strong performances by allies under the Mahayuti coalition.
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In Panchayat Samiti results, the BJP improved its tally from 284 seats in 2017 to 410 seats this year. Fadnavis projected that the BJP would win 50 out of 125 Samitis, Shiv Sena 26, and NCP 23. The Congress and NCP (SP) are expected to secure seven to eight Samitis each, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning five.
Fadnavis attributed the BJP’s success to public support for the Mahayuti alliance and criticized the opposition, stating that political rivals failed to gauge the pulse of the people. He added that negative campaigning against Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not resonate with voters, contributing to the opposition’s weak performance.
Overall, a total of 2,624 candidates contested the Zilla Parishad polls, while 4,814 candidates vied for 1,462 seats across the Panchayat Samitis, highlighting the extensive scale and competitive nature of the elections in Maharashtra’s local governance system.
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