The Bharatiya Janata Party has won a majority of the district council president positions in Satara, claiming five out of 10 seats. As per latest updates, Mahayuti holding a clear edge, leading in 192 local bodies, with the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead in 107 bodies and the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde leading in 48. The Opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is currently leading in 46 bodies.
The BJP has already secured three seats unopposed, with members and presidents of the Dondaicha Municipal Council (Dhule) and Angar Nagar Panchayat (Solapur) elected without contest, while the poll for the Jammer municipal president also saw no opposition. Together, the trends point to a strong early showing for the Mahayuti in the civic polls. The results will mark the culmination of a two-phase civic poll held on December 2 and December 21. The results are expected to offer an early read on the balance of power between the ruling Mahayuti and the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) at the grassroots level.
Sunday’s counting will also mark the run-up to the next big political contest in Maharashtra. The State Election Commission (SEC) has said elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and 28 other municipal corporations will be held on January 15, with votes to be counted the following day, January 16. The first phase recorded a 67.6% voter turnout. In two councils—Angar in Solapur and Dondaicha in Dhule—candidates were elected unopposed. In Pune district, Baramati Municipal Council saw 67% voter participation, while Phursungi-Uruli Devachi recorded 59.7%. The overall turnout for the second phase stood at 63.02%.
Despite largely peaceful polling, reports of violence and alleged electoral malpractice emerged in some areas. In Ambernath, police intervened with a lathi-charge following clashes between rival groups, detaining 208 women who were allegedly brought from Bhiwandi for impersonation, a charge they denied. In Nanded, alleged cash distribution to influence voters led to FIRs being filed. Clashes between party workers from Shiv Sena, Congress, and BJP were also reported in multiple districts. A total of 2,869 seats will be contested across these civic bodies, and 3.48 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots.