Security has been tightened in Ambernath and Badlapur, the home turf of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, as local body election results continue to trickle in. The stakes are high for the Shinde faction of Shiv Sena, with key municipal councils under close watch. According to trends so far, the Mahayuti alliance is leading in Ambernath Municipal Council, while the BJP is ahead in Kulgaon Badlapur. Overall, the saffron party-led coalition appears poised for a strong showing in Maharashtra’s local body polls.
In Thane district, elections were held in the Municipal Councils of Kulgaon Badlapur and Ambernath. Kulgaon Badlapur has 49 seats—27 reserved for General, 7 for SCs, 2 for STs, and 13 for BCCs. Ambernath has 59 seats—33 General, 8 SCs, 2 STs, and 16 BCCs. Voting was conducted for the posts of president and members in 23 municipal councils and nagar panchayats across the state, including 143 vacant member posts. Prominent local bodies in the fray included Baramati in Pune and Ambernath in Thane.
The elections have turned multi-dimensional in several regions, with ruling alliance partners—the BJP, Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP—sometimes contesting against each other, creating “friendly fights” within the alliances. Meanwhile, the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition faces stiff competition from the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). With trends favoring Mahayuti in most areas and the BJP making gains in key councils, the local body polls in Maharashtra are shaping up to deliver decisive results, particularly in politically significant districts such as Thane.