Mumbai, January 16: The ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, has established a commanding lead in the Maharashtra municipal corporation elections 2026. As of 3 pm on Friday, January 16, the Mahayuti alliance has crossed the majority mark in the high-stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and several other key civic bodies.

In Mumbai, the BJP-led alliance has surged ahead of its rivals, leading in over 118 of the 227 wards in the BMC. This performance puts the coalition on track to end the three-decade-long dominance of the Thackeray family over India’s richest civic body.

Despite a historic tactical reunion between the Thackeray cousins - Uddhav and Raj - their combined front (Shiv Sena UBT and MNS) is currently trailing with leads in approximately 66 wards. The Congress secured lead in 15 wards. Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Elections 2026 Results Live News Updates.

BJP Dominance in Pune and Western Maharashtra

The BJP has similarly outperformed its competitors in the Pune (PMC) and Pimpri-Chinchwad (PCMC) municipal corporations. In Pune, the BJP is leading in 80 of 165 wards, effectively blunting the challenge from the united Pawar family.

Notably, despite Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar fielding joint panels in certain areas to protect their home turf, the "Pawar Reunion" has struggled to convert local influence into seats, with the NCP-SP and NCP (Ajit Pawar) leading in fewer than 45 seats combined across the two cities. All About Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Elections 2026.

Regional Trends and Congress Recovery

Across the state’s 29 municipal corporations, the BJP has emerged as the single largest party, leading in over 1,100 wards nationwide.

  • Vidarbha: The BJP maintained its stronghold in Nagpur, leading in 74 of 151 seats.

  • Thane: CM Eknath Shinde’s faction remains the dominant force, comfortably leading in his home bastion.

  • Marathwada: The Mahayuti leads in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, though the AIMIM has managed to secure early wins in specific wards.

  • Congress Resilience: Outside the capital, the Congress has shown signs of recovery, emerging as the third-largest party by leading in roughly 171 wards, including a notable performance in Amravati.

2026 Maharashtra Civic Body Polls

These elections are the first civic polls held in Maharashtra since 2017. The delay, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent legal disputes over ward delimitation and OBC reservations, created a long period of administrator-led governance.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 16, 2026 04:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).