Mumbai: Latest trends from 694 wards in the Maharashtra municipal elections indicate that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged as the clear front-runner. The BJP is leading in 383 wards, pointing to a strong showing across urban centres. The Shiv Sena is a distant second, leading in 88 wards, followed closely by the Congress, which leads in 83 wards. The Shiv Sena (UBT) faction leads in 49 wards, while the NCP leads in 43. The NCP (SP) leads in 10 wards, AIMIM in five, and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), led by Raj Thackeray, in four. Other parties and independents are leading in 29 wards, highlighting a fragmented contest in several areas.
The recently concluded Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) recorded a voter turnout of 52.94 per cent, according to the data released by the State Election Commissioner (SEC) on Friday. The elections for India’s richest municipal corporations, which concluded on Thursday, were marred with allegations by the Shiv Sena (UBT)- MNS alliance, and subsequently refuted by the SEC.
BMC Elections
The elections, held after an eight-year gap, marked a significant civic exercise for Mumbai. The previous BMC elections were held in 2017, while the term of the last elected mayor, Kishori Pednekar, ended in March 2022. With the polls closed, Mumbai is set to elect a new mayor after nearly four years.
Out of the total 1,03,44,315 voters in the electoral roll, a total of 54,76,043 exercised their right to vote. In total, around 3.7 lakh men exercised their franchise compared to women. A total of 29,23,433 men voted across the 277 wards, 25,52,359 women, and 251 transgender electors also cast their votes.
The exit polls have predicted a victory for the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, with the Thackeray brothers finishing second and Congress and its allies failing to put up a strong show. In the 2017 elections, the undivided Shiv Sena secured 84 of the 227 seats. At that point, in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, the alliance had secured the halfway mark of 114 seats, with the BJP winning 82.
(With ANI inputs)
