Shiv Sena has spread from Chandrapur to Bandra: Eknath Shinde on Mahayuti sweep in Maharashtra local body polls

Thane (Maharashtra) [India], December 21 (ANI): As the Mahayuti alliance swept the local body elections by winning over 200 seats across the state, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde celebrated the win, highlighting that his party, the Shiv Sena, has secured 50 seats, larger than the combined seats won by the Opposition Maha Vikas Agadhi (MVA).
"The BJP scored a century, and the Shiv Sena scored a half-century. Some people said the Shiv Sena was limited to Thane, but now it has spread from Chandrapur to Bandra (all over Maharashtra). My gratitude to all our elected representatives, ministers, and MLAs. Thank you to my dear sisters and brothers, and congratulations to all the party workers. I also congratulate Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis; the BJP has also achieved great success," Shinde said in a press conference here.
He said that the results have shown that the court of public opinion telling who the actual Shiv Sena belongs to.
"The voters have shown in this election whose Shiv Sena it is. The Shiv Sena belongs to the Shiv Sainiks. Some people thought it was their monopoly; some considered themselves owners and others as servants," he said in the press conference.
While posting about the victory on X, Shinde also made an appeal to the Shiv Sainiks that they should not be "complacent" seeing the victory , and should dedicate themselves to doing the work.
"In the municipal council and nagar panchayat elections, Shiv Sena has secured more seats than the combined total won by the Maha Vikas Aghadi. It is clear that Shiv Sena's strength is growing in Navi Mumbai. Therefore, an appeal was made to Shiv Sainiks on this occasion to not remain complacent and instead wholeheartedly dedicate themselves to the work," Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde said on X.
Vote counting for 286 Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats began at 10 AM today. The elections were conducted in two phases with some councils going to polls on December 2, and others conducting polls on December 20.
Multiple key local bodies, including Baramati, Ambernath, went to polls. Two councils saw candidates being elected unopposed too, in Angar in Solapur and Dondaicha in Dhule.
In Pune district, around 17 local bodies went to polls, with the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) securing 10 president's positions, Shiv Sena secured 4 posts, and BJP 3.
As per the consolidated results in Pune, the NDA comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) secured 289 seats in total.
According to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, around 129 municipal council chairpersons have been elected from the BJP. Together, all three alliance parties (Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP (Ajit Pawar) account for 75% of the city council chairpersons. Among corporators, over 3,300 BJP candidates have been elected.
The local body elections also signal a run-up to the much-awaited political contest set to happen on January 15, when multiple Municipal Corporations, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Pune Municipal Corporations, and multiple other local body polls, will be held. The vote counting for BMC and other bodies is set for January 15, with counting on January 16. (ANI)