Maharashtra politics remains in a flux, but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continues to be on the ascent, as trends from the recent civic body elections suggest. Various factions continue to fight for the legacy of Balasaheb Thackeray, who combined Marathi nativism and Hindu communalism, but the BJP appears to have adopted that agenda more smartly, catering to the State’s changing demographics, particularly in Mumbai and other urban centres. The BJP secured roughly 1,425 of 2,869 corporator seats across 29 municipal corporations, while its ally, the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), also did well, except in Mumbai. The Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) had an understanding in their family strongholds in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, while remaining in opposition alliances — the former in the BJP-led Mahayuti and the latter with the Congress and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction). Uddhav Thackeray and estranged cousin Raj Thackeray joined hands after many years to reclaim the family’s prominence in Mumbai and in Nashik. Both the Pawar and the Thackeray families performed poorly, while the BJP and the Shinde Sena seized power in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Uddhav Thackeray had been in control of the BMC for 25 years. The BJP emerged as the single largest party in key cities, including Pune, Nagpur, Nashik and Navi Mumbai.
The Congress managed wins in Latur, Bhiwandi and Chandrapur, but is still distant from showing signs of a notable comeback. It can take solace only in the fact that people are not very excited about the family politics of the Pawars and the Thackerays, leaving an opening for it. The Congress had disapproved of the Uddhav-Raj partnership in Mumbai. But adding to the party’s troubles is the AIMIM, which has made some inroads in Muslim-dominated areas. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has emerged a strong leader, and the election results boost his standing within and outside the BJP. He is walking a thin line between pleasing the ideological hardliners in the BJP and managing the complex realities of governance. The composition of the State’s population is changing with migration, weakening the Sena’s nativist politics. All factions of the Sena are trying to adapt to this changed reality, but its past restricts its manoeuvrability. The BJP, on the other hand, has turned demographic changes into a tool of communal propaganda against Muslims while winning over Hindi-speaking voters. It is not much better for the State to replace nativism with communalism, and the BJP should drive its ambitions using a more inclusive platform.
Published – January 20, 2026 12:20 am IST
