Mahayuti Alliance to Lead Three Major Maharashtra Cities

Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan announced Thursday that the mayors of Kalyan-Dombivli, Ulhasnagar, and Thane will be from the Mahayuti alliance. The formal decision will be finalized after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis returns from Davos, where he is attending the World Economic Forum. Chavan emphasized that there are no disputes within the alliance, despite recent tensions between the Shiv Sena and BJP during the civic polls.

Alliance Partners Resolve Differences

Chavan stated that Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Fadnavis will hold their first post-election meeting in Mumbai after January 24. The BJP leader downplayed alliance friction, asserting that both parties will sit together to resolve any outstanding issues. This unified stance comes after the Shiv Sena attempted to secure support from rival parties, including the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Shiv Sena (UBT), to strengthen its position across the three corporations.

Electoral Results and Political Significance

The election results reflect a mixed outcome across the three cities. In Thane, the Shiv Sena dominates with 75 of 131 seats, establishing it as Eknath Shinde’s political stronghold. Kalyan-Dombivli presents a fractured verdict with Shiv Sena winning 53 seats against the BJP’s 51, with the majority mark at 62. In Ulhasnagar, the BJP leads narrowly with 37 of 78 seats, while the Shinde Sena trails with 36.

Chavan and Shinde previously agreed unanimously to support Mahayuti candidates in these three corporations, signaling strong alliance coordination despite the competitive dynamics displayed during the polling campaign.