What Maharashtra civic poll elections imply for key political leaders
What's the story
The recent municipal corporation elections in Maharashtra have delivered a decisive victory for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance. The alliance's most significant victory was in Mumbai, where it ended the Shiv Sena's decades-long reign over the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Asia's richest civic body. The BJP achieved significant success across various municipal corporations, with some victories in alliance with Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Leadership impact
Fadnavis's leadership credited for BJP's success
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has played a crucial role in the BJP's success in these elections. His strategy to counter Thackeray's nativist rhetoric with a pro-development pitch and welfare schemes paid off. The victory also strengthens his position as a pan-Maharashtra leader, breaking the Nagpur-centric image he had earlier.
Party challenges
Shinde's Shiv Sena faces setback in Mumbai
Eknath Shinde, the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader, suffered a major blow in Mumbai. His party could win only 29 out of 90 seats it contested in the BMC elections. Despite previous success in semi-urban municipal councils and Nagar Panchayats last December with the BJP's help, this time proved to be tougher for Shinde's faction of Shiv Sena.
Party performance
Ajit Pawar's NCP struggles in western Maharashtra
Ajit Pawar, the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), also faced a disappointing performance in western Maharashtra. His party only performed well in Ahilyanagar when contesting with the BJP, but couldn't secure a majority. In Pimpri Chinchwad, despite forming a strategic alliance with NCP-SP, the results were unsatisfactory for Pawar's party.
Leadership challenge
Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena faces defeat in Mumbai
Uddhav Thackeray, the leader of Shiv Sena (UBT), fought a focused campaign in Mumbai but couldn't stop his party's decline. For the first time in 25 years, the Thackeray family lost control of BMC, which was their biggest source of political power and finances. Despite this setback, Thackeray managed to retain a significant portion of his core voter base through a strong campaign around Marathi welfare.