BJP Leads in Pune Municipal Elections Amidst Political Alliances
The Pune Municipal Corporation elections have revealed early trends showing the BJP leading in 49 seats, while the NCP and Congress struggle to gain traction. The political landscape is complicated by recent alliances and splits within parties, particularly the NCP. In Mumbai, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance is also showing strong performance. As counting continues, the implications of these results could reshape local governance and party dynamics in the region. Stay tuned for more updates on this evolving story.
Jan 16, 2026, 12:20 IST
Pune Municipal Elections Show BJP in the Lead
Recent trends from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections indicate that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is currently leading in 49 out of the city's seats. The Pawar family had united to contest these elections together. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Ajit Pawar, formed an alliance with the NCP under Sharad Pawar's leadership for the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad municipal elections. However, following Ajit Pawar's split from the BJP, the party's voter base appears to have fragmented, suggesting that this alliance may not have effectively consolidated the NCP's support.
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As per the initial trends, the NCP is leading in 6 seats, while the Congress party has not secured a lead in any. The last elections for PMC and PCMC were held eight years ago in 2017. Currently, Murlidhar Mohol, the Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, served as Pune's mayor until November 2019. Meanwhile, in Mumbai, early counting trends from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections show that by 11 AM, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance is leading in approximately 69 wards.
Reported figures indicate that the BJP is ahead in 49 seats, while the Shiv Sena is leading in 26. This suggests that the BJP, under Devendra Fadnavis, has contested elections in 135 wards with a strike rate of 36%. The Shinde faction of Shiv Sena has participated in 90 wards, achieving a strike rate of 29%. The Shiv Sena (UBT) is reported to be leading in 40 seats, while Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) is ahead in 8 seats. The Congress has a lead in 7 seats in the early counting, and Ajit Pawar's faction of the NCP has gained a lead in 1 seat.
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Additionally, according to official trends from the BMC election offices, the BJP is leading in 9 wards, followed by Shiv Sena in 3 wards, Shiv Sena (UBT) in 4 wards, and AIMIM in 2 wards. The counting for the 227 seats of the BMC is ongoing. The elections for one of India's wealthiest municipal corporations, which concluded on Thursday, were marred by allegations from the Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS alliance, which were later dismissed by the State Election Commission.