‘This victory is just a trailer'—Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde hail Maharashtra local body poll results after Mahayuti's win

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde hailed the Maharashtra local body poll results after Mahayuti's win. Both went on to describe this as a “trailer” of what to expect in the municipal corporation elections on January 15.

Counting for the elections to the president and member positions in 286 municipal councils and nagar panchayats across Maharashtra began at 10 am, with early trends showing the Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Ajit Pawar’s NCP, and Shinde’s Shiv Sena, holding a comfortable lead.

Fadnavis took to X and said, “This victory is just a trailer of what we will see in the upcoming Municipal Corporation elections. I urge every party worker to work even harder and with more efforts for driving us towards greater victories in the future!”

Shinde lauds Shiv Sena's ‘strike-rate’

Speaking during vote counting on Sunday, Shinde praised the Shiv Sena’s “strike rate", noting the outcomes reflected the party’s effective work.

“Results show the public's preference for development over politics. The grand victory of the Mahayuti in the elections is just a trailer. The Mahayuti will repeat the same in the forthcoming municipal corporation elections,” Shinde said during a press conference, according to PTI.

While stating that the Mahayuti crossed the 200-mark in polls to 286 local bodies, Shinde said the BJP had “scored a century", while the Shiv Sena had achieved a “half-century,” emerging as the second-largest party in the state. "Konkan is the bastion of the Shiv Sena. The party is not confined to Mumbai and Thane but has reached each and every household in the state. Even in areas where the party faced losses, the collective victory of the Mahayuti remained the priority," he mentioned.

Shinde said the voters had ensured that those who remained inactive were kept out of power, in an apparent dig at Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray.

He claimed the people had clearly decided which faction represented the “real” Shiv Sena, asserting that his party followed the ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray and that the Sena founder would have been pleased with the victory. Describing the results as a lesson for those engaged in opportunistic politics, Shinde said the electorate rejects leaders who disconnect from the people, the report noted.

He also highlighted the Shiv Sena’s strong strike rate, noting that although the party contested fewer seats, it won most of them, and claimed it secured more seats than the combined tally of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, targeting the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP.

Dismissing questions about Uddhav Thackeray’s alliance with MNS chief Raj Thackeray, Shinde said it would have no impact as voters support those who deliver work. He further thanked women beneficiaries of the “Ladki Bahin” scheme and party workers for contributing to the victory.