Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Jan 16: Early trends in the Maharashtra civic body elections on Friday indicated a strong showing by the Bharatiya Janata Party–Shiv Sena alliance as counting progressed for polls held across 29 civic bodies in the state.
In the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the BJP–Shiv Sena alliance surged past the halfway mark, leading in 115 of the 227 wards. So far, nine candidates have been officially declared elected, with Shiv Sena winning four wards, the BJP three, while the Congress and AIMIM secured one seat each.
The Opposition alliance comprising Shiv Sena (UBT), the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena led by Raj Thackeray, and Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party struggled to match the ruling combine’s pace, managing leads in 68 wards. The Congress trailed further behind, taking early leads in just 10 wards.
Meanwhile, vote counting is underway for 115 seats in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. According to the latest trends, the BJP is leading in 21 seats, followed by Shiv Sena with 15. Shiv Sena (UBT) is ahead in six seats, while AIMIM has taken the lead in 12 wards.
Counting continues across all centres, with final results expected later in the day.