Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
The political atmosphere has intensified as the municipal election battle lines are drawn. After disputes over seat-sharing within the ruling Maha-Alliance at the Centre and state, Shiv Sena, BJP, and the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have entered the fray directly. In 87 of the 29 prabhags, BJP and Shiv Sena candidates will contest face-to-face. Consequently, by 5 PM on January 13, accusations and counter-accusations are expected to fly even among ruling allies.
The wheel of development politics in the municipal elections is now riding on the tracks of accusations, making everyone watch closely who will gain the upper hand. Although BJP claims to be contesting directly against MIM, the two parties will face off in about 28 prabhags. This means BJP’s real test will be against Shinde Sena candidates. BJP had devised a seat-sharing formula within the Maha-Alliance considering caste-political equations. However, due to high demand from aspirants, both parties had to break the alliance. Now, BJP’s goal is to get its candidates elected and achieve the magic figure of 58 seats. For this, BJP has also delegated election campaigning responsibilities to some district leaders.
Candidates in 92 prabhags…
BJP has fielded candidates in 92 prabhags. Initially, 96 candidates had been issued B-forms, but four candidates faced issues with their B-forms. As a result, for the first time in municipal elections, BJP will contest with 92 candidates under the lotus symbol. Since entering the city’s political arena in the 1988 elections, BJP’s growth over four decades has increased aspirant demand. Consequently, 80 rebels emerged in the 2025 elections, of which 76 were pacified, doubling BJP’s confidence going into the polls.