Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: The BJP-led alliance has taken an early lead in the high-stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, according to initial trends, as counting of votes began on January 16 for civic body polls across Maharashtra. The elections held for 29 municipal bodies were held on January 15 after a long gap of nearly nine years. Early leads indicate that the BJP alliance is ahead in 34 wards in Mumbai’s BMC. Of these, the Bharatiya Janata Party is leading in 25 wards, while Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction has taken the lead in nine wards.
Close on their heels are the Thackeray cousins, who are mounting a strong challenge to retain their influence over India’s richest civic body. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) is leading in 23 wards, while Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) is ahead in three wards, taking the combined Thackeray camp tally to 26 wards. The contest is being seen as a prestige battle, particularly in Mumbai, where control of the BMC carries significant political and financial clout.
The BMC, which has an annual budget exceeding Rs 74,400 crore, went to polls after a four-year delay. A total of 1,700 candidates were in the fray for 227 seats in Mumbai alone, reflecting the intense competition among political parties. Exit polls had earlier predicted that the Thackeray factions could consolidate Maratha and Muslim votes, while the Congress was expected to retain its hold over minority-dominated pockets.
