Maharashtra: The results of Maharashtra’s 2026 municipal corporation elections have delivered a decisive verdict, signaling a new chapter in the state’s urban political landscape. The ruling Mahayuti alliance emerged victorious in 23 out of 29 municipal corporations that went to the polls on Friday, including a historic takeover of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), ending a 25-year Thackeray dominance in the city and cementing the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) ascendancy across urban Maharashtra.

This outcome represents a watershed moment in state politics. For decades, Mumbai—India’s financial capital—served as the political and economic stronghold of the Shiv Sena, providing the Thackeray family with influence, organizational resources, and a steady financial backbone. However, the BJP’s resounding performance has transformed the city’s civic governance and heralded a shift in the balance of political power within Maharashtra.

BJP Emerges as the Single-Largest Force

In Mumbai, the BJP emerged as the single-largest party, securing 89 seats out of 227 in the BMC, decisively outpacing both the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena, as well as the Congress and other smaller parties. The Shiv Sena (UBT) won 65 seats, concentrated primarily in central-south Mumbai from Dadar to Byculla, while the Shinde-led faction claimed 29 seats. Other parties including the Congress (24), MNS (6), AIMIM (8), and NCP factions made minor gains but failed to challenge the BJP’s dominance.

The BJP’s victory in Mumbai marks a historic milestone: it now controls India’s richest civic body for the first time, providing the party with unprecedented political leverage and financial influence in the state.

A Blow to the Thackeray Legacy

The BMC results represent a stinging setback for Uddhav Thackeray. Despite a rare reunion with his cousin Raj Thackeray and a campaign leveraging Marathi nativism, the Opposition was unable to stem the BJP’s surge. Analysts note that the loss underscores the erosion of the Thackerays’ hold over Mumbai, raising questions about their relevance in future state and municipal contests.

The Congress, which had been the single-largest party in Maharashtra in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, also suffered a historic decline. Its tally in Mumbai fell to 24 seats, down from 111 in 1992, while the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), with which Congress had aligned before the polls, failed to secure any seats in Mumbai.

BJP Consolidates Across the State

Beyond Mumbai, the BJP demonstrated its formidable presence in key municipal corporations across Maharashtra. Highlights of the results include:

• Nagpur (151 seats): BJP 102, Congress 34, others minimal.
• Pune (165 seats): BJP 96, NCP 20, Congress 15.
• Pimpri-Chinchwad (128 seats): BJP 84, NCP 36, Shiv Sena 6.
• Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (115 seats): BJP 57, AIMIM 33, Shiv Sena 19.
• Nashik (122 seats): BJP 72, Shiv Sena 41, others minor.

Across Maharashtra, the Mahayuti alliance won 23 corporations, leaving only six to opposition parties. Notably, even the reunified NCP factions led by Sharad and Ajit Pawar could not secure key bastions like Pimpri-Chinchwad, highlighting the BJP’s expanding influence in western Maharashtra.

The industrial corridor of Mumbai–Nashik–Pune, which accounts for approximately 7% of India’s GDP, now falls predominantly under BJP influence. The party’s presence in other strategically significant urban areas, including Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Palghar, Navi Mumbai, Mira-Bhayandar, and Ulhasnagar, signals a strengthened foothold in urban Maharashtra. Meanwhile, regional players like Hitendra Thakur’s Bahujan Vikas Aghadi maintained control in Vasai–Virar, and Congress retained Bhiwandi, reflecting limited pockets of resistance.

Political Implications and Leadership Gains

The civic poll results are being interpreted as a clear endorsement of the BJP’s development-focused campaign, emphasizing urban infrastructure, governance, and inclusive growth. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis have both hailed the victory as a validation of the Mahayuti’s governance model, with Modi noting that the voters “blessed the NDA’s agenda of pro-people good governance” and deepened the alliance’s bond with citizens.

For Fadnavis, the mandate reinforces his stature both within the party and nationally. He described the outcome as evidence that voters trust the BJP’s vision of urban modernization, a combination of governance and culturally rooted politics often referred to as inclusive Hindutva.

Conversely, the results cast the Thackeray family’s legacy in a challenging light. Uddhav Thackeray now faces consecutive electoral setbacks, raising questions about the Shiv Sena’s ability to reclaim its dominance in Mumbai and urban Maharashtra. Analysts also note that regional and caste-based mobilizations, which previously buoyed the Thackeray factions, failed to offset the BJP’s organizational machinery and campaign strategy.

A Broader Pattern: Opposition Weakness

Across Maharashtra, the results reveal a fragmented opposition struggling to counter the BJP’s rise. Congress and NCP, despite their historical strength, were unable to prevent losses even in traditional strongholds. The results have reignited merger talks within NCP factions and prompted the Congress to re-evaluate its urban strategy ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.

Smaller parties like MNS, AIMIM, and Samajwadi Party made minor gains in selective areas, but the overall picture is one of BJP dominance, Mahayuti consolidation, and opposition fragmentation.

Looking Ahead

With the BJP now firmly entrenched in urban Maharashtra, the implications extend beyond municipal governance. Control of corporations like the BMC gives the party access to significant fiscal resources, policy-making influence, and urban development leverage, which can be strategically mobilized ahead of future assembly and parliamentary elections.

The Mahayuti’s strong performance signals a continuing shift in urban voter preferences toward parties promising efficient governance, infrastructural development, and economic growth, rather than traditional political loyalties. For the Thackerays and other opposition parties, the challenge lies in rebuilding organizational capacity, cultivating urban support, and crafting messages that resonate with an electorate increasingly inclined toward the BJP’s vision.

In summary, the 2026 Maharashtra civic poll results mark a turning point in state politics: the BJP emerges as the dominant urban force, the Thackeray citadel falls, and the opposition faces a moment of introspection. The results underscore the evolving dynamics of urban governance in India’s second-most populous state and set the stage for a new era of political contestation in Maharashtra.