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Maharashtra civic polls: BJP-Sena leads in early result trends
16 Jan 2026

The counting of votes for the elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), is currently underway.

The BMC is Asia's richest civic body, with an annual budget of over ₹74,400 crore.

The elections were held after a four-year delay.

Early trends from the BMC election showed the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance taking the lead in 41 wards. The BJP is ahead in 31 and Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena in 10.

Thackeray cousins behind
Cousins

The Thackeray cousins are behind, leading in 28 wards.

While Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena is leading in 25, Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) is leading in three wards.

According to the civic body, 2,299 officials and staff are monitoring the BMC vote counting, including 759 supervisors, 770 assistants, and 770 Class IV employees.

All personnel underwent prior training to guarantee that the process goes well.

Thackeray cousins' alliance and exit poll predictions
Political dynamics

The BMC elections are crucial for Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray.

The two cousins have reunited after over 20 years to reclaim control of the BMC.

Exit polls predict a major victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena in the BMC elections, with an estimated 132 seats between them.

Pune's political landscape and voter turnout
Pune predictions

In Pune, the BJP is expected to emerge as the largest party with around 70 seats in the 165-seat PMC.

Per exit polls, the NCP faction led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is likely to win 55 seats, while Sharad Pawar's faction may get 10 seats.

For this poll, the uncle and nephew had formed an alliance.

The Shiv Sena, which contested independently, could secure around 12 seats.

Voter eligibility and municipal corporations involved
Election details

Polling was held for 2,869 seats across 893 wards in the 29 civic bodies. A total of 3.48 crore voters were eligible to vote in this election.

The other municipal corporations where votes are being counted include Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar, Kalyan-Dombivli, Kolhapur, Nagpur among others.

The results will determine the political landscape of these key urban centers in Maharashtra.