Analysis | Local Body Poll Results Validation Of E Shinde In Maharashtra Politics

The BJP emerged as the clear winner in the first phase of local polls, winning at least 120 seats in the elections held in rural and semi-urban centres of the state. As in last November, the MVA struggled to cross even 50.

21 Dec 2025, 18:22 · www.ndtv.com

Mumbai:

Municipal council elections in Maharashtra, which happened after almost a decade, mirrored the 2024 Vidhan Sabha elections. The BJP emerged as the clear winner in the first phase of local polls, winning at least 120 seats in the elections held in rural and semi-urban centres of the state. As in last November, the MVA struggled to cross even 50.

Yet, beyond the BJP's expected dominance, the most politically significant takeaway from the results was the performance of the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde.

For the first time since the split in Shiv Sena, Eknath Shinde fought the BJP directly on a majority of seats. Despite being a junior partner in Mahayuti, Shiv Sena ended the contest with a higher strike rate than the BJP.

Winning at least 60 seats, the Shiv Sena expanded its footprint well beyond its traditional strongholds Konkan and the Thane belt, making inroads into rural and semi-urban parts of Maharashtra.

"Those who said Shiv Sena was limited only to Thane, have now got their answer. Shiv Sena has reached from 'Chanda to Banda', across Maharashtra," Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said.

Ever since the split in the Shiv Sena in June 2022, Eknath Shinde's faction has faced sustained challenges, not just from its rival Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena, but also from within the Mahayuti.

Shinde's unexpected elevation as Chief Minister was widely seen as a tactical move by the BJP's high command, with many political observers believing it to be a temporary arrangement before Devendra Fadnavis eventually took over the reins during the same term.

That assumption, however, underestimated Shinde's political resilience.

Known for his hold over the party cadre, Shinde had long remained in the shadows of more seasoned leaders in the once-united Shiv Sena. Even after the split, many dismissed the rebellion as a momentary political adjustment. The popular jibe, "50 khoke, ekdam ok", framed the split as a BJP-engineered operation, often overlooking Shinde's organisational strength and leadership role.

While the legitimacy of the Shinde-led Sena was challenged at every step by Uddhav Thackeray's faction, the BJP too appeared to view Shinde largely as a stop-gap ally. But subsequent elections told a different story.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where the Mahayuti suffered a major setback in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena under Shinde emerged with the highest strike rate within Mahayuti, even outperforming the UBT Sena on this metric.

Following that setback, the Mahayuti government rolled out a major welfare scheme that significantly altered the electoral mood in the state, with Shinde emerging as its principal face. When Maharashtra went to the Vidhan Sabha polls later in 2024, the Mahayuti returned to power decisively, with Shinde still at the helm as Chief Minister heading into the elections.

The post-election phase, however, exposed visible strains between Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis.

Shinde, reportedly unhappy about being sidelined for the Chief Minister's post, fought hard with the BJP leadership to secure influential portfolios for his ministers, and won.

Over the past year, talk of a "cold war" between Shinde and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has persisted. From cuts in funding for schemes launched under the Shinde government to intense scrutiny of his ministers' decisions, tensions have frequently surfaced.

Party insiders suggested attempts by the BJP to both diminish Shinde's growing political stature and induct leaders from his faction into the BJP - Shinde resisted both these challenges successfully.

Against this backdrop, and amid talk of a Thackeray comeback following the reunion of Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, Shinde launched what he termed "Operation Tiger". He aggressively inducted former corporators from the UBT Sena with the aim of weakening his rival ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections.

The Municipal Council election results have significantly strengthened the credibility of Shinde's Sena. Its tally surpassed the united Shiv Sena's performance in the 2017 elections (36). More importantly, the Sena's reach extended beyond the MMR and Konkan regions into BJP- and Congress-dominated areas.

The results have also altered the power dynamics between Shiv Sena and the BJP ahead of key urban battles, especially Mumbai.

For the first time since the split, the Shiv Sena took on the BJP directly in local elections. With the Opposition largely absent and the NCP focused on western Maharashtra, much of the contest effectively became a two-horse race between the BJP and the Shiv Sena.

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