The State Election Commission is yet to release the final figures.
Of the 550 Zilla Parishad seats secured by the Mahayuti till late Monday evening, the BJP proved its supremacy by winning 225 seats, followed by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) with 165 seats, and the Shiv Sena with 162.
Among the Opposition MVA, the Congress won 55 Zilla Parishad seats, followed by the Shiv Sena (UBT), with 43 seats, and the NCP (SP) with 26. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) won one seat each in Latur and Ratnagiri.
In the Panchayat Samiti polls, the BJP won 459 seats, followed by the NCP with 306 and the Shiv Sena with 302. The Congress won 97 seats, the Shiv Sena (UBT) 89, and the NCP (SP) 46.
Be it in western Maharashtra, the Konkan, or Marathwada, the BJP has excelled across districts, with allies NCP and Sena also performing strongly. In contrast, none of the parties in the MVA put up even a semblance of a fight, suffering heavy defeats in all districts.
Following the death of Ajit Pawar, all eyes were on the NCP to see if it would gain from sympathy votes, and the party put its best foot forward—storming back to power in the Pune Zilla Parishad, and faring better than its alliance partners and the Congress in Kolhapur.
Story continues below this ad
NCP back in power in Pune Zilla Parishad
The NCP once again pocketed the Pune Zilla Parishad, continuing its two-decade dominance, while it secured 78 of the 146 seats in the Panchayat Samitis. The Pune Zilla Parishad is the only one in western Maharashtra where the party has been winning for 20 years.
The NCP had tied up with the NCP (SP) in Pune district, with candidates contesting on the ‘clock’ symbol. The BJP finished a poor second, with only 10 seats. NCP sources said the tie-up benefited them as there was no division of votes.
“We won decisively in Pune district and Baramati because of the winning strategy implemented by the late Ajitdada Pawar. Right from the start, we were confident that we would win as he had meticulously implemented the plan. It is sad that he is not around to see his efforts bear fruit,” NCP Pune district president Sambhaji Holkar said.
Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28. “The results have strengthened the NCP’s resolve to carry forward Ajit Pawar’s legacy and to serve the people with greater responsibility and honesty,” Holkar added.
Story continues below this ad
NCP shines in Kolhapur too
The NCP emerged as the single largest party in the Kolhapur Zilla Parishad elections too. In 2017, the BJP was in power here for the first two and a half years, followed by the Congress for the same period.
In the latest election, the BJP-led Mahayuti, with five parties in its fold, collectively secured 51 seats. While the BJP, which won 17 seats in 2017, only managed 12, the Shiv Sena won nine seats. The NCP emerged as the single-largest party, winning 20 seats. The Jan Surajya Shakti, also a part of the Mahayuti, won five seats. “Our victories in the local self-government body polls are a tribute to the work and tireless efforts of Ajit Pawar,” NCP state president Sunil Tatkare said.
The Congress won 15 seats. “The Mahayuti’s money power has won. They went all out to win the elections through their money power,” Congress MLC Satej Patil told The Indian Express. Patil said that despite the Mahayuti going all out to win, the Congress stood tall. “The people of Kolhapur have full faith in the ability of the Congress to deliver, and that is why they have always stood by us in all the elections,” he said.
Sharad Pawar’s NCP springs a surprise in Sangli
In 2017, the BJP was in power in the Sangli Zilla Parishad, but this time it only managed to win 16 of the 61 seats. The NCP (SP) sprang a surprise with 18 seats, while the NCP secured six. Though both NCP groups had tied up for the elections, party sources said they fought together in some places and against each other in others. With 31 seats needed to form the board, an NCP leader noted that if the Congress, which won 11 seats, joins hands, the two NCP factions could come to power.
Story continues below this ad
In Satara, BJP scales up
In Satara, the undivided NCP was in power in 2017. This time around, the BJP has emerged as the single largest party, with 26 seats, while the NCP has won 22, and the Shiv Sena 15. While the Congress won only one seat, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP (SP) drew a blank.
In Sambhaji Nagar, BJP-Sena steal the show
In Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar in the Marathwada region, the Shiv Sena was in power in 2017. This time, the BJP and the Shiv Sena struck a pre-poll alliance that paid off. The BJP won 23 of the 63 seats, with the Shiv Sena following closely with 21 seats. Among the Opposition, the Shiv Sena (UBT) won nine seats, the NCP four, and the Congress –it had won 16 seats in 2017—just won a solitary seat.
Congress rises in Latur; BJP on backfoot
In 2017, the BJP was in power in the Latur Zilla Parishad. This time, the Congress has emerged as the single largest party with 23 seats. On the other hand, the BJP won 18, the NCP 12, and the MNS, the Shiv Sena (UBT), the Shiv Sena and the NCP (SP) one each. Both the BJP and the NCP have the numbers to stake the claim, an NCP leader said. “Other than Amit Deshmukh, no other Congress leader campaigned here. Otherwise, the result would have been different,” a Congress leader said.
BJP to finally rule Solapur
In Solapur, the BJP came to power by winning 38 of the 60 seats, a sharp improvement from 2017 when it had secured just 14. “Money and muscle power ruled the Solapur local self-government body polls. Imagine when an EVM is found at a local dhaba, what kind of election did we have?” NCP district chief Umesh Patil said.
Story continues below this ad
In Parbhani too, the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 24 seats, while the NCP bagged 15 seats and Shiv Sena five. The MVA parties ended up with nine seats.
People have reposed trust in BJP: Fadnavis
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who did not campaign following the death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, said, “As per the results and trends available so far, the people of Maharashtra have reposed their trust in the Mahayuti. In all 12 Zilla Parishads, the BJP has emerged as the top party, and the Mahayuti will be in power in each of them.”
He noted that the BJP was the leading party in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Sindhudurg, Dharashiv, Parbhani, and Satara, while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena secured more seats than any other party in Ratnagiri and Raigad. The NCP dominated Pune district, and in Kolhapur and Latur, all three Mahayuti partners contested together and won, Fadnavis added.
“The BJP has broken its own record of the 2017 Zilla Parishad elections. In 2017, the BJP had won 141 seats. But in this election, the BJP has so far won more seats,” he added.
Story continues below this ad
On the Panchayat Samiti election, Fadnavis said, “In the 2017 elections, the BJP had won 284 seats. This election, we will win nearly double.”
A positive mandate: Congress
Reacting to the Congress’s performance, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief Harshavardhan Sapkal said, “The Congress contested the local self-government elections across the state independently to expand its ideology and organisational base. In some places, alliances or fronts were formed at the local level after assessing the political situation. Since these elections belong to grassroots workers, they should be given maximum opportunities, which is not possible when alliances are formed. The people have given a positive mandate to Congress’s ideology in these elections.”
