MUMBAI: Just two hours were enough for the BJP to assert its iron hold on urban Maharashtra, as the saffron party surged ahead in 23 out of 29 corporations and municipalities when the counting of votes began at 10am on Friday.By noon, the party, led by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, had taken the pole position in 509 wards without facing any significant threats from its bitter rivals — the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and MNS.In Mumbai, the BJP clearly surged ahead along with its Mahayuti partner, Shiv Sena, against the Thackeray cousins’ combined forces. The BJP took an early lead in Mumbai’s urban wards, securing an unassailable lead in 80 wards.As per news agency ANI, in Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the BJP-Shiv Sena (Shinde) Mahayuti alliance is leading in 93 wards, leaving the Shiv Sena (UBT)–MNS alliance trailing with just 57 leads, of which UBT has 48, MNS 8, and NCP-SP 1. Congress has only 10 leads, while Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction has a minimal presence. Notable victories such as BJP’s Navnath Ban in Ward 135 highlight the party’s dominance across key urban wards.The trend is mirrored in Nagpur, where BJP is poised for a landslide, leading in 78 of 151 seats compared to Congress’s 22, underscoring its stronghold in the chief minister’s home city. In Pune, the BJP has clearly displaced the Pawars’ NCP factions, leading in 50 of 165 seats, while NCP and Congress-UBT combined have minimal leads. Similarly, in Thane, the BJP commands a significant advantage with 21 leads out of 131 wards, ahead of NCP and UBT-MNS-NCP(SP) groups. Even in Nashik and Shambhinagar, BJP maintains an edge, though competition is slightly tighter with UBT, MNS, and other MVA factions showing modest leads.
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