Close Contest in BMC Elections as Results Teeter on the Edge

Sanjay Raut of Shiv Sena (UBT) suggests the BMC election outcome could end in a draw, with 204 of 227 seats declared. The BJP leads with 85 seats, while Shiv Sena (UBT) claims 60. Final results are pending as vote counting continues in 100 wards.

Shiv Sena (UBT) Member of Parliament Sanjay Raut on Friday indicated that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections could conclude in a deadlock. With results for 204 out of 227 seats released, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance has secured 110 seats, just shy of the 114 needed for a majority. The BJP leads with 85 wins while its ally Shiv Sena holds 25 seats. Meanwhile, the Thackeray brothers have lagged behind with 65 seats, although Shiv Sena (UBT) performed strongly, capturing 60 seats.

Sanjay Raut, addressing the press, claimed the current trends are "inaccurate" and the polls are intensely competitive. Raut remarked, "The moment to react is yet to come. Counting continues in Mumbai, and final results won't surface until midnight. Released figures are misleading; over 100 wards have not been fully counted yet. I concede it's a tight race, but claims of Shiv Sena (UBT) trailing vastly are overstated."

Raut further asserted that the current numbers will shift, noting that 60 corporators from their faction who left for Shinde's camp lost their seats. "It's possible the contest might end in a draw," he conjectured. In Mumbai, Congress secured 19 seats, NCP two, NCP (SP) one, and other parties seven.

Elsewhere, the Yuti claimed sweeping victories. In Navi Mumbai, BJP clinched 65 seats, while Shiv Sena earned 43 out of 111 seats. In Ulhasnagar, the BJP won 37, and Shinde Sena got 36 out of 78. The BJP dominated Panvel and Dhule, winning majorities independently, with 55 and 50 seats respectively, as Sena trailed with two and five. Jalgaon saw BJP secure 46 and Sena 22 out of 75 seats, while BJP ruled Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad by achieving a 39-seat majority, with Shiv Sena and NCP gaining two and 16 seats respectively; Congress took 18 seats. In Jalna, BJP-Sena joint efforts prevailed with 53 of 65 seats, outpacing Congress's nine.

(With inputs from agencies.)